India's
Space
Odyssey
presented
by
discovery+
is
touted
to
be
a
tribute
to
the
glorious
60-year-old
journey
of
ISRO
(Indian
Space
Research
Organisation)
where
innumerable
scientists
gave
in
their
hard
work,
sweat,
blood
and
tears
to
catapult
India
to
the
main
league
in
the
world
map
when
it
came
to
its
space
and
technological
development.
The
documentary
is
characterized
by
snippets
and
interviews
from
experts
ranging
from
former
ISRO
Chairmans
G
Madhavan
Nair
and
Satish
Dhawan
to
former
ISRO
head
Anuradha
TK
and
historians,
editors
and
writers.
Even
though
the
docudrama
is
backed
by
solid
research,
its
tribute
fails
to
strike
a
chord
at
the
personal
level
when
it
comes
to
immortalising
the
significant
journey
of
scientists
Homi
Bhabha,
Vikram
Sarabhai,
Satish
Dhawan,
Dr
APJ
Abdul
Kalam
and
Nambi
Narayanan.
The
documentary
traces
the
establishment
of
The
Indian
Space
Programme
from
a
humble
church
in
Thambi
to
it
becoming
a
global
milestone
with
the
success
of
Mangalyaan
and
Chandrayaan-1.
However,
one
finds
the
execution
extremely
schoolish
and
bland
along
with
some
animated
fillers.
It
will
almost
remind
one
of
the
docudramas
shown
in
schools
when
one
instead
expects
to
witness
a
deeper
and
more
meaningful
insight
into
the
rollercoaster
ride
of
a
journey
of
ISRO.
There
is
a
lack
of
archival
facts
on
various
important
aspects
in
the
defining
moments
of
ISRO
like
the
camaraderie
between
the
pioneers
of
ISRO-
Homi
Bhabha
and
Vikram
Sarabhai,
the
initial
tumultuous
relationship
between
the
USA
and
India
to
the
gravity
of
the
espionage
controversy
that
caused
the
arrest
of
Nambi
Narayan.
Instead
of
focusing
on
the
intricate
efforts
and
hard
work
of
the
determined
men
and
women
involved
in
the
various
ISRO
missions
over
the
years,
footage
of
politicians
is
flashed
occasionally.
These
elements
falter
from
the
documentary
to
strike
a
chord
on
the
personal
level
and
what
is
left
behind
is
a
hastily
made
product.
Even
though
there
is
no
denying
that
the
writing
by
Joshua
Whitehead
and
the
research
by
Nidhi
Rai
is
strong,
the
execution
lacks
a
serious
depth
altogether.
With
several
hard-hitting
documentaries
and
movies
especially
when
it
comes
to
the
genre
of
space,
sci-fi
and
sci-tech,
India's
Space
Odyssey
should
have
tried
to
aim
a
notch
higher
when
tracing
such
an
inspiring
and
eventful
journey
of
ISRO
and
its
scientists.
One
of
the
validating
moments
of
the
documentary
forms
the
origin
of
the
Indian
Space
Programme
in
Thambi
and
Dr
APJ
Abdul
Kalam
giving
his
endearing
and
honest
speech
on
the
failure
of
SLV-3.
Actor
R
Madhavan
has
narrated
the
Hindi
version
of
the
documentary
and
hopefully
his
upcoming
film
Rocketry:
The
Nambi
Effect
will
give
a
close
insight
into
the
controversy
and
arrest
of
Nambi
Narayanan
following
a
police
complaint
by
a
Maldivian
woman
Rasheeda
who
alleged
that
the
scientist
was
a
spy.
The
conversation
between
former
Indian
Air
Force
pilot
Rakesh
Sharma
who
was
the
first
citizen
of
India
to
go
to
space
and
former
Prime
Minister
Of
India,
Indira
Gandhi
is
inevitably
heartwarming.
The
lines
'Saare
Jaahan
Se
Acha' is
something
that
will
forever
resonate
in
the
mind
of
every
Indian.
However,
the
documentary
India's
Space
Odyssey
could
have
attempted
to
strike
a
chord
on
a
more
personal
level
with
a
more
human
and
sentimental
touch
instead
of
a
bland
factual
commentary.
The
efforts
of
discovery+
in
showcasing
this
tribute
for
ISRO
is
one
that
should
be
praised
though.
We
give
India's
Space
Odyssey
2.5
out
of
5
stars.