Rajkummar’s resilience, wit shine in this inspiring biopic

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Visually impaired Srikanth Bolla (Rajkummar Rao) can “practically only dream”. So, he dreams rather big. He can’t run, so he must fight. If others can, Sri also can. Stitching all these aspects of the industrialist’s life together, Srikanth director Tushar Hiranandani, along with writers Jagdeep Siddhu and Sumit Purohit, weaves them into a simplistic yet impactful narrative.

The film begins in the early ’90s, when the protagonist is born to Damodar and Venkatamma Bolla (Srinivas Beesetty and Anusha Nuthula). At first elated that he’s been blessed with a son, but upon realising that the child is blind, Damodar’s world comes crumbling down.

The film effectively highlights society’s lack of empathy towards people with disability. Through Srikanth and his teacher Devika (Jyothika), the film takes on the Indian education system, which, for instance, doesn’t let allow students with visual impairment to opt for Science after class 10. Later, Srikanth is invited by the top four schools in the world on full scholarship after getting rejected by the colleges he applies to in India. He eventually accepts an offer from MIT, Boston (USA). Once back in India, he starts Bollant Industries. And that’s when we are shown Srikanth’s rise and brief fall with some wellcrafted sequences.

There’s pace, intrigue and curiosity about what the protagonist will do next to realise his dreams. The second half nosedives and the story digresses a bit too much. The monologue at the end, where Srikanth speaks to the world on behalf of the visually challenged community, employs the character’s wit to offset the potential for preachiness.

Even when the film flags, Rao’s terrific absorption of Srikanth’s resilience and strength keeps the ship afloat. Jyothika is effective and restrained, and has quite a few endearing scenes with Rao. Sharad Kelkar as friend and business partner Ravi Mantha, brings calm to the proceedings as friend, elder brother and business partner. Jameel Khan’s portrayal of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India, bowls you over. Swathi’s (Alaya F) character could have had more depth and their love story could have been incorporated better in the screenplay.

The song Papa Kehte Hain, second hero of the film, by Aditya Dev, adds the right kind of soul to Srikanth’s journey. With tons of humour laced carefully to not take away the seriousness of the subject, Srikanth leaves you feeling inspired and instils a feeling of self-belief. If Sri can, so can you.