Ishwak Singh feels he could easily have been a physicist, but for now he is more than happy with the on-screen portrayal of Vikram Sarabhai in Rocket Boys

Nonika Singh

We have seen him play a sincere cop in Paatal Lok, as also an empathetic neighbour in Unpaused. Of course, many cameos in movies like Veere Di Wedding and Tamasha, which you may or may not have noticed have come his way too.

Working with great co-actors like Jim Sarbh (he essays the part of Homi J Bhabha) is half the battle won. It’s a great ensemble anyway; Rajit Kapoor whom I have admired ever since and then there is Dibyendu Bhattacharya. The casting director has done a great job. Since most of my scenes are with Regina Cassandra and Jim, they are my favourites.

A period piece and playing a real life hero doesn’t make my job more onerous, only more layered and exciting. It’s like you give a child more toys, he will not find it tedious, only enjoy more.

Today, as Ishwak Singh slips into one of the lead parts, getting into the skin of celebrated scientist Vikram Sarabhai in Rocket Boys, streaming on Sony Liv, we wonder if this is his big moment. He says, “As the series is about to be released and responses are coming in, slowly but surely the realisation as to what a big deal it is, is sinking in.”

Prior to the making of the series he had only a surface level idea of who the Father of the Indian Space Programme really was. Today, he knows his multi-faceted persona who set up institutes in various fields as well as the fact that above all, “he was man of science.”

Among Sarabhai’s many sterling traits and achievements the one that has really fascinated him is Sarabhai’s equanimity, a quality he relates to at the personal level too. Besides, he feels, “Howsoever celebrated the scientist or any exalted person might be, when you play him, you realise. I may not have won similar laurels, but I have felt the same emotions.”

For telling the human story behind the great visionaries, both Sarabhai and Homi J Bhabha, he credits the director Abhay Pannu and writers for bringing out the person beneath the public persona. Filmmaking might be a tripartite collaboration between director, writer and actors, but since the actor is the final face and could bear the brunt; does he feel an additional pressure? Surprisingly, he doesn’t and quips, “You got to be a fearless. Why so, perhaps because once Ashish Vidyarthi told me, ‘See yourself as an efficient refrigerator.’ So, I think of myself as a piece of electronics working efficiently.”

Indeed, to ensure that efficiency and consistency, there is a lot of prep. His dialogue in the series, “I am particularly interested in physics” could well apply to him in real life. Physics might not be this architect’s subject, but the prep took him back to his high school textbooks. Besides, as he read more and more about concepts of physics and listened to fun lectures by Walter Lewin, MIT professor, he felt, he could easily have been a physicist. On screen, however, all this browsing made his acting more of a ‘felt experience’ than a borrowed one.

As very few Indian series or movies go down the path of science, let alone bring to life the story of two scientists as illustrious as Vikram Sarabhai and Homi J Bhabha; has the series done justice to the subject? He says, “Yes, for Rocket Boys has its heart in the right place. To begin with, every script is a piece of literature. When I read it I found it informative and riveting. Plus, the script has been whetted by many.”

Touted an OTT star, how does he look back at his smaller parts in films? Well, all those parts, big or small, are an integral part of his journey. Moreover, platform does not decide his choices. It’s the makers whom he intends to work with who matter. He adds, “When we talk about Paatal Lok we look at the craft and art of the series. Ultimately, a film or a series is about filmmaking, not where it’s being shown.”

An actor of many mediums, he has also been associated with the world of stage. Affiliated with Asmita theatre group for nine long years, during which he performed at Mandi House, Habitat Centre et al, he truly understood the meaning of work ethic and discipline. Thanks to theatre experience, “I work on my craft every day.”

A Punjab da puttar, he requests his Punjabi brethren in chaste Punjabi to watch Rocket Boys, for, “It’s a perfect blend of science, emotions and people.”

Voted as one of the most desirable men, he feels people have been kind and is happy to get this kind of attention, “That’s why you become an actor, you want to be in the spotlight.” And the arc-lights turn on him like never before and he would also be seen in Berlin and yet another Amazon series. With or without OTT, Ishwak would have been Ishwak and in his words ‘found his way.’ All the way to the top… we are keeping our fingers crossed.