Name: Srikanth
Release Date: May 10, 2024
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast:
- Rajkummar Rao as Srikanth Bolla
- Alaya F as Swathi
- Jyotika as Srikanth’s mother
- Sharad Kelkar as Ravi
- Jameel Khan as Principal
- Vidaarth as Srikanth’s father
Description:
Srikanth is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film based on the extraordinary life of Srikanth Bolla, an industrialist who defied all odds despite being visually impaired from birth.
Directed by Tushar Hiranandani and produced by T-Series Films and Chalk N Cheese Films, the movie chronicles Bolla’s remarkable journey from a small village in Andhra Pradesh to becoming a successful entrepreneur and the founder of Bollant Industries. The film highlights themes of perseverance, discrimination, and the triumph of human spirit in the face of adversity.
Plot:
The narrative begins in a small village in Andhra Pradesh, where Srikanth Bolla is born visually impaired to a family of poor farmers. Despite societal stigma and limited resources, his parents decide to raise him with dignity rather than abandoning him, a common fate for many disabled children in rural India at the time.
As a child, Srikanth faces numerous challenges, including being denied admission to school due to his disability. With his parents’ unwavering support and his own determination, he manages to get educational opportunities and excels academically despite the lack of accessible study materials for the visually impaired.
The film portrays his struggles with the Indian education system, which initially attempted to prevent him from pursuing science subjects due to his blindness.
Against all odds, Srikanth scores impressively in his board examinations but faces rejection from the IIT entrance system due to discriminatory policies.
Undeterred, he applies to foreign universities and becomes the first international blind student to be accepted into the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His time in America transforms him, exposing him to a world of accessibility and equal opportunity.
Upon returning to India, instead of pursuing a comfortable corporate job, Srikanth decides to become an entrepreneur to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
The film depicts his founding of Bollant Industries, which manufactures eco-friendly packaging products and predominantly employs differently-abled individuals.
The narrative highlights key moments of Srikanth’s fight against systemic discrimination, including his legal battles to change policies that limit opportunities for disabled students. It also portrays his personal relationships, particularly with Swathi, who becomes his support system and eventual life partner.
The climax of the film showcases how Srikanth built his million-dollar company, providing employment to hundreds of disabled people, and his continued advocacy for accessibility and equal rights for persons with disabilities in India.
