Srikanth is a biographical drama inspired by the true story of visually impaired Indian industrialist Srikanth Bolla. Originally released in theatres on May 10, the epic biographic drama was released on OTT on July 5. Directed by Tushar Hiranandani, Srikanth features Rajkummar Rao as Srikanth Bolla, along with Jyotika, Alaya F, Jameel Khan, Sharad Kelkar, and more in the leading roles. Srikanth highlights the journey of Srikanth Bolla and how he overcame all obstacles to be MIT's first visually impaired overseas student and a successful entrepreneur in India. Here is all you need to know about the real-life Srikanth Bolla:
Who is Srikanth Bolla?
Srikanth Bolla is a public speaker, entrepreneur, and leading industrialist of India. What makes Srikanth Bolla's story incredibly inspiring is that despite being visually challenged, he became one of the top industrialists in India and even made India's name proud in foreign countries. Not only this, Srikanth Bolla got an investment from none other than then India’s most beloved President of India, the late APJ Abdul Kalam.
Born in July 1991, Srikanth Bolla hails from Seetharamapuram village in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Srikanth's parents were farmers who struggled to make ends meet. Today, Srikanth Bolla is the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Bollant Industries. Bollant Industries is an eco-friendly recycling company headquartered in Hyderabad. Srikanth Bolla's company offers packaging solutions and employs differently-abled people. As mentioned above, Bolla has also worked with former President, the late APJ Abdul Kalam. In the trailer, it was revealed that Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam invested Rs 25 lakhs in Srikanth Bolla's startup.
Another aspect that has shown in the movie is Srikanth Bola's journey to MIT. As per reports, Srikanth Bolla was the first overseas blind student at MIT. As per reports, Bolla joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US for an undergraduate course in business administration. Reports suggest that Srikanth Bolla was denied admission at institutes for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) earlier, with a Professor commenting, "The course load would be like pouring rain on a small sapling." Bolla had applied at BITS Pilani, too, but was not issued a hall ticket.
Srikanth first rose to fame after he sued Indian Education System. After his matriculation (10th Grade), Bolla wanted to study science but was not permitted to do so. So, Bolla filed a case, and after a six-month wait, he was allowed to pursue science at his own risk. Bolla topped his class with a 98% on his XII board exams.
Srikanth Bolla's achievements
Srikanth Bolla has won multiple awards for his contribution. In 2019, Srikanth won Entrepreneur of the Globe issued by One Young World, UK; in 2021, he won the Outstanding Person in Business award issued by JCI India. Srikanth Bolla studied at Royal Junior College for a Higher Secondary Degree. Srikanth had opted for Math, Physics, and Chemistry.
Talking about Srikanth Bolla's extracurricular activity, he was a member of the Andhra Pradesh State Blind Cricket Team. He had participated in several state, zonal, and national chess and cricket tournaments and won several awards. He's a nationally ranked-chess player in India.