"Rocket Boys"

Rocket Boys is more than prestige television. It’s a reflection on power, who builds it, who controls it, and who pays the price. For South Asian viewers, especially in the diaspora, it’s a compelling chance to engage with a complex chapter of our shared history, one that still echoes today.

📺 Available on Sony LIV (VPN required) or select Sling TV international packages.

What is Rocket Boys

Streaming on Sony LIV, Rocket Boys is a critically acclaimed Hindi-language drama that tells the story of Dr. Homi J. Bhabha and Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, two of India’s most visionary scientists. Season 1 traces their academic and personal journeys. Season 2 goes deeper, dramatizing the events leading up to India’s first nuclear test in 1974 and exploring the global and domestic forces that shaped it.

The series blends science and politics, spotlighting not just technological ambition, but also the complicated choices faced by a newly independent nation navigating Cold War pressures.

How To Watch It in The U.S.

• Sony LIV: The home platform, but not officially accessible in the U.S. without a VPN.

• Sling TV: Some Sling international packages have featured Sony LIV content; availability may vary.

• Other options: VPNs and third-party apps are used by some viewers, though reliability and legality can vary, proceed with caution.

👉 Bottom line: Check current listings, or use a VPN and a Sony LIV subscription for the most direct route.

Why It Matters Now

India’s nuclear program isn’t just history, it’s a legacy that continues to shape South Asia’s security dynamics. With regional tensions flaring and nuclear diplomacy back on the global agenda, Rocket Boys arrives with eerie relevance. It explores:

• The scientific idealism that drove Bhabha and Sarabhai and the real-world politics that complicated it.

• India’s push for strategic autonomy amid U.S. and Chinese influence.

• The controversial framing of the 1974 test as a “peaceful nuclear explosion” and the fallout that followed.

It’s also a rare series that humanizes scientists, showing them as patriots, rivals, dreamers, and at times, conflicted actors in a much larger game.

Critical Perspective

While Rocket Boys is celebrated for its storytelling and production, some critics note that it smooths over key controversies and dramatizes certain figures to fit a nationalist arc. That said, the series has reignited public interest in India’s scientific history and introduced a new generation to the foundational figures of its nuclear and space programs.

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