Directed by Tushar Hiranandani, Srikanth, is a heartwarming and inspiring tale of a boy who chose to fight the odds, who chose to go against the wind, and who didn’t let his disability come in the way of him and his goals. Srikanth is also the story of resilience, grit, and self-belief, and it amazed me to find out that most of the things shown in the film actually happened in real life. The film is inspired by the real-life of Srikanth Bolla, though the makers have taken certain creative liberties to basically create more intriguing conflicts and enhance the drama.
Srikanth was born in a small village named Seetharampuram in Andhra Pradesh, and obviously, his relatives and even his parents, to some extent, were disappointed that he was born with a disability. There were people who suggested that the parents should get rid of him, but Srikanth’s parents refused to entertain such thoughts. In the film, it is shown that Srikanth’s father went and almost buried him alive, as he didn’t want to take on the burden of bringing up a child with a disability. I believe that act was a symbolic representation of how they must have felt and what their close ones told them. They had no clue that they had given birth to a prodigy who was going to change the way the nation looked at blind and disabled people. It is true that Bolla had a hard time during his school days. In one of his interviews, Srikanth stated that he didn’t feel poor due to the limited resources that his family had, as he knew that when the time came, he would be able to make up for it with his hard work. But sitting in the class alone and not being a part of a friend’s group made Srikanth realize that in real life, a person who was lonely was the poorest of all. Srikanth said that the only regret he had in his life was that he was not able to enjoy his school life with his friends. He was not able to relish that bit of childhood, as probably people didn’t treat him equally.
On the advice of some relatives, Srikanth’s father took the decision to move him to Hyderabad, where he could study at a school for disabled children. Moving out of his village was the most difficult thing Srikanth did. Living in a hostel alone and doing all his chores on his own was a challenging task. But the biggest challenge of them all was eating brinjal every day, as we saw Srikanth complaining in the film, too. I am not sure if Srikanth was thrown out of the school the way it was shown in the film, but it is true that he stood up to the administration when he was the head boy and asked them to provide the students with better facilities.
It is absolutely true that Srikanth was not allowed to study science at first, and he was asked to take arts. Srikanth was a brilliant student, and he topped each and every exam that he gave. Just like it was shown in the film, he once again faced a challenge when the IIT coaching institutes refused to take him, and he was not even allowed to take the entrance examination. That’s when Srikanth decided that he would apply to colleges abroad, as the first-world nations had better opportunities for disabled people. It is shown in the film that Haldiram, the Indian company, gave Srikanth a full scholarship to study abroad, though we are not sure if that is what happened in real life.
Srikanth knew that he would have a happy life if he stayed in the United States of America. There must have been some anger inside him for the way his own country put obstacles in his way when all he wanted to do was study. Probably, there would have been a moment in his life when he would have thought of never returning to India. But I am glad he did and laid the foundation of Bollant Industries, an eco-friendly paper product manufacturing company that provides packaging solutions to businesses. It is true that Srikanth partnered with Ravi Mantha, whose character has been exceptionally played by Sharad Kelkar in the film. Swathi’s character is also based on Srikanth’s real-life wife. She has been a constant support in his life, and through his posts on Instagram, we got to know the kind of gratitude he has for all that Swathi has done for him. Devika’s character is inspired by Srikant’s teacher Swarnalatha Takkilapati, who currently works as the chief operating officer at Bollant industries.
Although Srikanth actually met APJ Abdul Kalam and became the youth leader of the Lead India program, I don’t know if the former president actually invested Rs. 25 lakh, as it is shown in the film. I learned that Ratan Tata invested a huge amount in Srikanth’s company, which allowed him to expand and set up more units. As of now Srikanth Bolla is in Hyderabad, running Bollant industries, tackling challenges and overcoming all the obstacles gloriously. Tushar Hiranandani’s film is not just a celebration of Srikanth but an ode to all those, like Ravi Mantha and several others, who believed in his abilities, who helped him achieve his goals, and who stood alongside him even when the possibility of imagination turning into reality seemed bleak.
