The praise for his portrayal of Dr Vikram Sarabhai in "Rocket Boys" from audiences and film industry alike is yet to "sink in", says actor Ishwak Singh and he hopes the second season of the web series will be a "worthy successor".
After a series of supporting roles in films such as “Raanjhanaa”, “Aligarh” and “Veere Di Wedding” and Prime Video web show “Pataal Lok”, Singh tasted success in his first lead role in “Rocket Boys”, a show which is a glowing tribute to India's scientific luminaries Dr Homi Bhabha and Dr Sarabhai.
Singh said he is pleased that the SonyLIV series struck a chord with both viewers and industry colleagues.
"For an actor, the most important thing is once your work goes out there, people watch it and the story that we set out to serve a certain purpose and that gets communicated and that happened with ‘Rocket Boys’.
"People could relate to the character, they felt it was an honest performance, and this is not just with the audience but even with the fraternity. When you get this kind of acknowledgement, recognition is the best thing for an actor. It is amazing, still sinking in,” the Delhi-born actor told PTI in a virtual interview.
It has been "a dream run" for Singh, who said he is grateful for the love and support that has come his way since starring in "Rocket Boys", directed by Abhay Pannu.
"I am just doing my thing, go out there and do my work. I am really grateful... I try to stick to the basics, stay focused. I just go back to the old grind of working and sharpening my tools. There are moments where I realise it has been a dream run that the industry is extremely receptive, warm, and supportive," he added.
Billed as a tribute to the legends of India’s space adventure, the SonyLIV series narrates the tale of the two Indian science geniuses -- Dr Sarabhai and Dr Homi Bhabha (played by Jim Sarbh).
“Rocket Boys 2” centres around how amidst global conflict and enemies charging our borders, India becoming a nuclear nation was the only deterrent to imminent threats of war.
The actor said series' chapter two, set to arrive on Thursday, is "bigger and brighter".
"Season two is like a worthy successor. I think we set the premise (in season one) and the story has to be told (further). I am excited I want to share it with the audience,” he said.
"It is bigger, brighter, more eventful but equally rooted as season one. That grounding always stays even when the events might be bigger. It has done justice to all the characters, it has spoken about certain events. It is something that will not disappoint the audience,” he promised.
Up next for Singh are two feature films “Bas Karo Aunty!”, backed by Nitesh Tiwari and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, and “Berlin”, a spy thriller.
The actor said he had signed “Berlin” before “Rocket Boys”, and “Bas Karo Aunty!” happened while he was shooting for the acclaimed web series.
“Bas Karo Aunty!” is a young-adult comedy drama and is based on the bestselling book “How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company”. It is directed by debutant filmmaker Abhishek Sinha.
“Berlin” is set in early '90s in Delhi. Also starring Aparshakti Khurana, the film is written and directed by Atul Sabharwal.
“‘Bas Karo Aunty!’ is a universe of Nitesh Tiwari, which is very wholesome. It has humour and entertainment. We can see his (character) personal triumphs, tribulations, and journeys. That's the kind of universe that Nitesh sir creates. It is beautiful.
“‘Berlin’ is very exciting. It is about a particular event, a particular zone, it is very niche. They are both very interesting and different worlds and my characters are different,” Singh added.
Created by Nikkhil Advani, Roy Kapur Films, and Emmay Entertainment, “Rocket Boys” is produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani, and Nikkhil Advani.
It also stars Regina Cassandra, Rajat Kapur, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, and Saba Azad in pivotal roles.
