Actors who played memorable characters in films and web series based on Indian Geniuses you must watch, while the world is high on the Oppenheimer fever
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has been the talk of the town ever since it was released. The movie depicts a certain part of the life of Julius Robert Oppenheimer, who is known as the father of the atomic bomb. While the American theoretical physicist deserves the spotlight, there are many Indian movies and projects which highlight the lives of some of the Indian geniuses. Here is our list:
Ishwak Singh & Jim Sarbh in Rocket Boys:
If we speak about the presentation of Indian physicist Dr Vikram Sarabhai and Dr Homi Bhabha on screen, then it’s probably Ishwak Singh and Jim Sarbh that comes to our mind first. The actor’s accurate portrayal of scientists on screen is hard to remove from people’s memory. Their research and performance were noticed by the audience.
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Aug 21, 2026R Madhavan in Rocketry:
The movie was based on the Indian aerospace engineer Nambi Narayanan where R Madhavan portrayed him onscreen. Madhavan transformed himself into the character so well that he once posted a picture on Instagram of him and the real Nambi Narayanan and it was hard to distinguish the real one from the real one.
Akshay Kumar & Vidya Balan in Mission Mangal:
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Aug 21, 2026
The film is based on India's first interplanetary expedition, Mars Orbiter Mission and had characters who were loosely based on real life scientists who were involved in the mission. Akshay Kumar plays the role of Rakesh Dhawan, the Scientist and Mission Mars director, who was based on real life scientist Subbiah Arunan. Akshay played the most important catalyst in the story, making it interesting for the audience. Vidya Balan was seen as Tara Shinde, who was a scientist and project director. Her character is loosely based on Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, Deputy Operations Director of India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), Mangalyaan. Vidya played her character very close to what scientists would be in real life.
Suriya in Soorarai Pottru:
For people to deal with highly priced flight tickets, Captain G. R. Gopinath came up with a low-cost airline, Air Deccan. He was the real-life inspiration behind Nedumaaran Rajangam, aka Maara, played by Suriya in the Tamil movie Soorarai Pottru. Suriya received the National award for the best actor for the movie.
Vidya Balan in Shakuntala:
Nicknamed as a human computer, there is hardly anyone who would not have known Shakuntala Devi and her talent. In the movie Shakuntala, Vidya Balan played her onscreen. Vidya smoothly tapped into Shankuntala Devi’s flamboyance, quirkiness and love for mathematics.
Hrithik Roshan in Super 30:
Hrithik Roshan played the real-life character Anand Kumar, a Mathematics educator, best known for his Super 30 programme, which he started in Patna, Bihar to teach underprivileged students to prepare for entrance to the Indian Institute of Technology. One of the landmark movies in Hrithik‘s career, the actor got rave reviews for his performance
