Srikanth review: Rao is braille-ant!

SrikanthCast voices Rajkummar Rao Jyothika Sharad KelkarDirectors Tushar HiranandaniRating 35Up until this filmrsquos halftime I felt I couldrsquove simply googlesearched this biopic Only I wouldnrsquot find actor Rajkummar Rao in it That is Rao playing a visually impaired Srikanth Bolla on whose life this engaging eponymous corporate film is basedmdashlinearly detailing a series of professional milestones that made Bolla go from a poor boy in Machilipatnam to MIT in Boston eventually setting up an industry that employed other visually impairedMaking him an icon of sorts Fit enough for a Bollywood biopic Like several such that already exist and will continue to Itrsquos not that the achievements are minor Theyrsquore frickinrsquo something elseConsider a mathgeek into sport who made it to the Indian team for blind cricketmdashhitting some sort of a world record at baseball in the USmdashafter becoming an agent of change in law back home in India Wherein the visually impaired werenrsquot even allowed to pursue science in collegeNot that itrsquos my concern at the moment as an audience to factcheck each feat Itrsquos just that there are so many Wikipedia entries to film that there isnrsquot enough time to ever pause and take stock of the man behind those momentsYoursquove got to remain alert to them yourself For instance the opening scenes where you must wonder if parents would really kill off an infant if they turn up blind into the world Bollarsquos folks nearly didOr that bit when Bolla gets kicked out of blind school because he rats on the authorities Hersquos on the street getting chased down by a stray dogFor all the animalloversrsquo virtuesignalling defense of strays who deserve a better space themselvesmdashone seldom worries about how they could affect the vulnerable such as kids homeless and the disabled on streetsRaorsquos helpless lead character is shattered brokenmdashlifted up by a Good Samaritan teacher Jyotihka who takes him under her wings He flies abroadThis is a very special human bond Just glossed over however in pursuit of the next lifeevent to suitably report on the baller life of Bollamdasha longdistance loveinterest Alaya F helpful business partner Sharad Kelkar the exPrez APJ Abdul KalamhellipThis is why nothing emotionally sticks Until the final few minutes of the film for sure What are the GOAT movies you can instantly recall where the protagonist is visually impaired Let me go firstUndoubtedly Naseeruddin Shah in Sparsh 1980 Remember the restaurant outburst scene from that Sai Paranjpye film Likewise you canrsquot erase from memory Al Pacinorsquos ldquohoo haardquo refrain besides zipping down New York streets in a car or the chilling courtroom sequence from Martin Brestrsquos Scent Of A Woman 1992Thatrsquos what this movie on occasion lacksmdashstaging of memorable drama Too lazily structured that it is around covering scenes and there are far too many to register or ever reflect onIrsquom going home with the trivia that Nagpurrsquos Haldiram sponsored Bollarsquos education abroad Gonna to buy an extra pack of bhujia just for thatSpeaking of courtroom scenes therersquos one in Srikanth as well A college principal denies him science education because the gent argues the boy canrsquot read regular books Wouldnrsquot that be true for books on humanities tooIs that why the visually impaired had per force remained blind to collegelevel science thus far And that Bolla became the first such international student to enroll at MIT Well thatrsquos what google searches are for if you have the time or are suitably inclinedIrsquod rather stick to this movie directed by Tushar Hiranandani First encountered Hiranandanirsquos work as a writer along with his partner Milap Zaveri when they scripted among several movies thereafter Masti 2004 which was such a mastwatch As against the franchise that followedAs director Zaveri Satyameva Jayate Marjaavaan went on to attempt blockbusters that test bounds of reality This is Hiranandanirsquos third biopic The last one Scam 2003 series on Sony LIV was a totally unironic dull take on the life of wellknown stamppaper crook Abdul Karim Telgi The first Saand Ki Aankh 2019 was based on two female Tomar sharpshooters made famous already through Aamir Khanrsquos talkshow Satyamev Jayate Furthering the tribute the song Papa kehte hain from Aamirrsquos Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak 1988 is this moviersquos recurring background scoreSrikanth works best of the lot because Irsquod never heard this eyeopening account until this movie There is a gentle element of surprise rather than recognition It could work just as well on TVOTTUnlike the last Hindi biopic we watched Imtiaz Alirsquos Chamkila 2024 on Netflix that plays so beautifully with form and structure it deserved the big screen no lessThis one is centred foremost on Raorsquos phenomenal performance Thatrsquos what draws you in and keeps you theremdashwatching the lead actor convincingly immerse himself in a part that you never wish for the party to endI know love is blind so is justice etc Talent certainly isnrsquot You should be able to sense Raorsquos brilliance even on braille

Srikanth review: Rao is braille-ant!

Srikanth
Cast ( voices): Rajkummar Rao, Jyothika, Sharad Kelkar
Directors: Tushar Hiranandani
Rating: 3/5

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Home / Entertainment / Bollywood News / Article / Srikanth review: Rao is braille-ant!

Srikanth review: Rao is braille-ant!

SrikanthCast ( voices): Rajkummar Rao, Jyothika, Sharad KelkarDirectors: Tushar HiranandaniRating: 3/5

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Latest Photos

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Mid-Day Fast

Srikanth
Cast ( voices): Rajkummar Rao, Jyothika, Sharad Kelkar
Directors: Tushar Hiranandani
Rating: 3/5