Singh took to learning and understanding the nitty-gritties of space research. “I [began] reading science textbooks, geeked out on lectures of MIT professor Walter Lewin, studied about ISRO [Indian Space Research Organisation], and understanding bomb making. I also studied the basics of rocket science and its evolution and that’s how I got to know about the pioneers like [Konstantin] Tsiolkovsky, [Robert H] Goddard and Wernher von Braun,” he says. While engrossed in the theoretical understanding of rocket science, Singh kept coming back to the script, which was “sacrosanct” for him. “[The script] is meticulously developed by our director Abhay Pannu. He had beautifully interwoven the highlights of Vikram Sarabhai’s life in the story [for season one]. After comparing notes for 18 months, [we have] hand-crafted the character like a sculpture. Sarabhai was a man of science, that is how I played him then and will continue with it.” The second instalment of the SonyLIV series will focus on the Pokhran nuclear test story.

Play Quiz: Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt-starrer Brahmastra