Director Tushar Hiranandani maps the inspirational story of Srikanth Bolla with a magnifying lens
Most films on physically challenged people end up recounting our perspective of an incomplete existence, unaware that we are all traveling in a broken boat and that communication is a two-way street.
Director Tushar Hiranandani’s biography of the visually challenged businessman Srikanth Bolla avoids cloying melodrama in favor of telling an uplifting narrative that is not only humorous and charming in places but also investigates the mental architecture of a visually impaired person.
Along the way, the video conveys an essential message: do not consider a person with a handicap as exceptional or rubbish, but rather connect with him or her on an equal basis.
However, after a point, the biopic becomes a lesson that the makers want to teach to the people of an ableist world, with a smirk.
Srikanth’s success story from a modest upbringing to the owner of Bollant Industries is shaped not only by his fortitude but also by people who empathize with him and believe in his talent. However, after a while, he begins to take his support system for granted and suffers.
Biopic scripts are constantly in risk of becoming little more than a collection of bullet points from the subject’s impressive career. The writers have also highlighted Srikanth’s battle with the educational system, his degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his baseball bat skills, but they do not boast or drag on.
Furthermore, the film tries to show Srikanth’s frame of mind when success blurs the distinction between good and evil. When biases against those who pulled him down threaten to transform the hero’s feet into clay. It also recounts the time when he begins to use his handicap to overcome difficulties, when walking the straight way becomes monotonous for him.
It helps that Rajkumar is the film’s driving force. He keeps you interested in the plot even when the script becomes predictable. Raj treads that tight line between exaggeration and caricaturization, which is required by the film’s tone. He has adopted the spirit of a visually impaired individual.
Raj’s certainty in snapping his fingers to locate his way, as well as the seamlessness with which he makes his brows dance throughout discussions and intervals of stillness, demonstrate that he has encoded the character in his muscle memory. With half-closed eyelids, he unlocks the door to Srikanth’s soul for us.
In terms of performers depicting physically handicapped people, his portrayal ranks among Naseeruddin Shah in Sparsh (1980) and Kalki Koechlin in Margarita With A Straw (2014), however Srikanth’s is less subtle.
As an idea, the film travels beside Srikanth to understand him and his ambitions rather than helping him cross the road. However, there are several sections, notably those dealing with Srikanth’s romanticism and bodily demands, that appear too sanitized. Furthermore, because the tale is constructed as a moral science lecture, complete with light-hearted anecdotes and wisecracks, the film expects the viewer to ignore the flatness and focus on the subject’s accomplishments. A bit more polish and a few more revisions would have transformed it into an amazing winner.
