Rocketry co-director Prajesh Sen on R Madhavan's transformation into scientist Nambi Narayanan

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect will give great recognition to the scientific community of the country and the world, says Prajash Sen, who co-directed the film with R Madhavan.

Prajesh Sen and Nambi Narayanan/Twitter

The co-director of Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, Prajesh Sen, has spoken about how actor-director R Madhavan worked extremely hard to pull off Nambi Narayanan. He went as far as stating that "this is the best role played by the actor in his career."

The film, which was released globally on July 2, is gaining good reviews, over word of mouth.

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is about the life and struggles of the country's eminent scientist Dr Nambi Narayanan, who was a senior scientist in the ISRO and later was alleged of being involved in espionage. He fought the case and won it and got acquitted of all charges and even made the police pay him compensation for undue detention in police custody and trauma.

Prajesh Sen has acted in several hit films, in Mollywood, after quitting his job as a journalist in a leading Malayalam daily.

What was your first reaction when you heard about this script? And, how did you come on board?

I was in school when I first heard about the ISRO spy scandal and had a feeling that it was true. Later, when I grew up, my perspective changed. And, that was because I read a lot. I could understand that Mr Nambi Narayanan was wronged. Also, I tried to get the scientist's interview but he didn't relent. This was after I became a journalist. However, after constant perusal, I could get his interview and this was a big hit which was titled, 'Is there an answer to my nine questions'.

That's great. What are your observations about R Madhavan, as an actor?

Madhavan has transformed into Nambi Narayanan literally and has become the great scientist on screen. All the mannerisms of Nambi Narayanan were properly displayed by him. We never felt that he was acting but was living the role of Nambi sir. On watching the movie in a theatre among the crowd, I became highly emotional seeing his performance on screen.

Wow! Wonderful to hear that. So, was your documentary, 'Nambi: The Scientist', a good experience in the larger frame of the movie?

I wrote a book on Mr Nambi Narayanan, titled, 'Ormakalude Brahmanapatham'. It took five years for me to complete. Also, I did a documentary on my experience travelling with sir, during the research on his book. I had the experience of visiting the scientific labs where he had conducted research, his studies, and everywhere. The visuals that I shot during these visits were later used for the documentary, 'Nambi: The Scientist'.

How was the feeling while working with Madhavan during the shoot?

The period of Nambi Narayanan from the age of 27 to him turning the age of 75 was portrayed in the film, and this led to the project, taking two years to complete. Madhavan had even bleached his beard and hair to get the grey look and had taken enormous effort and strain to bring the body condition to that of a 27-year-old Nambi Narayanan and later as a 75-year-old. This is the first time that I am seeing an actor taking this much strain and this was a totally dedicated effort on the part of Madhavan.

Madhavan has gone on record that this was his best film ever. Do you agree with him on that?

Absolutely. There is no confusion in stating that this is the best role played by Madhavan in his career. He has put his soul and heart and physique into the movie. He has turned each moment into the scientist Nambi Narayanan. Even if this was his first directorial venture, he had performed exceedingly well. As a co-director of the movie, I had the feel of his total performance in the movie as an actor and director. His thirty years of acting experience was converted into the making of Rocketry: The Nambi Effect.

Will the movie have a major impact across the globe as this is not a movie about a sports person or a movie star but a scientist?

The life of Nambi Narayanan, the scientist will be etched in golden letters in the hearts of the people who had watched the movie. I'm sure about this. Everyone who had watched the movie praised Nambi Narayanan sir and said that they were ignorant as to what a big man he was. People knew him only as a person who had escaped after being charged in an espionage case. Now, the audience understood that he was beyond that and had made major contributions to science.

Overall, how was your experience of co-directing a pan-Indian film?

I had completed 'Captain' and was doing my preliminary discussions for my next, 'Vellam', when I joined this team as a co-director. I could learn several things from Madhavan Sir and how he was moulding actors and even as a co-director, I was made comfortable by him. Sync sound was done by people who have been exposed to that area of expertise. Graphics, including VFX, was done by a big company called Assemblage and I had the opportunity to visit their premises and cooperate with them, giving me a great experience.

The camera for Rocketry was wielded by Sreesha Roy from West Bengal, who is an FTII Pune product and this was his sixtieth movie. His experience helped us enjoy the style of his work. The editor of the movie was Bijith Bala who is the editor of all my movies and his experience and professionalism helped us very much. Rocketry was made on a huge scale. I am indebted to Madhavan and Nambi Narayanan sir for having allowed me to be part of this one will be a game-changer.

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