Aahana Swrup
In the biographical film, ‘Srikanth,’ the narrative accompanies the titular character, Srikanth Bolla — born in a small Indian village in Andhra Pradesh — who becomes a notable entrepreneur. Throughout his life, he faces many challenges as a blind man, as he’s forced to contest discriminatory systems and other people’s prejudices. Nevertheless, as he remains steadfast in his path, he becomes the first blind student to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and goes on to build his own business.
Therefore, Ravi Mantha enters Srikanth’s narrative as a prolific businessman who puts his trust in the latter’s Bollant Industries and becomes a key investor. As the duo’s professional relationship progresses, so does their personal relationship, leading to a profound friendship between the two. Therefore, anyone intrigued by Ravi Mantha’s character and his place in Srikanth Bolla’s life must be keen to learn more about the real person behind the character and his current life.
Ravi Mantha is the Angel Investor Who Co-Founded Bollant Industries
Ravi Mantha, a University of Puget Sound graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Business Administration, was a Portfolio Manager at Fidelity Investments before he became an entrepreneur and started investing in various business ventures. Through a mutual friend, he saw an introduction to Srikanth Bolla in the early 2010s when the latter was still a student at MIT. Around the same time, he was also involved in various other professional undertakings. The two managed to meet in Hyderabad, where early discussion regarding a professional collaboration began.
Consequently, as Bolla actualized his aspirations of setting up Bollant Industries, Mantha remained a constant by his side as the co-founder. Reportedly, Mantha’s initial investment in the company was about 100,000 dollars. Since then, his investment in the company has only grown as it continues to expand. While Mantha continues to hold his more than a decade-long position at Bollant as the Chief Financial Officer, he has also expanded into various other business investments in recent years.
Mantha’s involvement in his investments stretches out to him raising capital and advising on business strategy. Currently, he’s connected to various businesses across the globe — from Singapore’s Crayon Data and Legalese to Silicon Valley’s WCB Robotics, Canvas, and many more. Mantha and Bolla’s friendship also remains steady. In fact, the latter was initially unreceptive of the idea of a biopic being made after him but conceded after the filmmakers managed to contact the angel investor, who convinced his friend.
Therefore, due to their involvement, the film’s depiction of Bolla and Mantha’s characters, their relationship, and their professional progression remains mostly true to reality. While the cinematic narrative moves some things along, tinkering with timelines and details in a show of apt creative liberty, the general portrayal of Mantha’s on-screen character holds true to reality.
Ravi Mantha Became a Published Author in 2013
Alongside his entrepreneurial ventures, Ravi Mantha is also known for his literary endeavors as a health guru. As a holistic health practitioner, he holds a treasure trove of knowledge about wellness achieved through the alternative medicine practice. Thus, he channeled his lessons and the latest advancements in medical research to write his first non-fiction health book, ‘All About Bacteria.’
“I started with the gut- my first book was all about the microbiome: ‘All About Bacteria,’ Mantha told Green by John and Cynthia during a conversation in 2018. “That’s what I call the biological layer or the bacteria that live in and on you. It took a few years of research to get that book done and out. And then I wanted to understand nutrition because the bacteria are living on the food you eat.” Therefore, after he shifted his focus to another crucial aspect of human health, he came out with his second book, ‘The Baby Elephant Diet: A Modern Indian Guide To Eating Right,’ in 2015.
Furthermore, Mantha also worked on the English translation for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 Gujarati poetry book, ‘A Journey: Poems by Narendra Modi.’ Likewise, he also publishes articles on his own eponymous website, where he talks about other health-related issues. Most recently, he delved into chronic pain conditions— a topic he specializes in and has hinted he might cover in his future work as an author.
Ravi Mantha is a Holistic Healer and Involved in Organic Farming
Ravi Mantha has been a holistic healer since 2015, keeping his wellness and nutritional practice based out of London, England, and Mumbai, India. He offers high-end wellness advice and works with a select group of clientele, specializing in the treatment and reversal of lifestyle and chronic illnesses— free of any medication. In his 2012 TedX talk, the entrepreneur discussed the same alongside a wealth of other health-related subjects. He once shared that he treated about a thousand patients in a year and had worked with Dr. Deepak Chopra’s patients in America before the COVID-19 pandemic. Even today, he continues traveling around the globe to fulfill his holistic calling.
As an excursion within the same realm, Mantha also became involved in organic farming sometime around 2016. Sharing his experience with the same in a 2021 interview with Indica, he said, “I entered this field [organic farming] because I am a holistic health practitioner, and when you are truly interested in wellness and preventive health, you quickly realize that you have to grow your own food because you cannot trust the commercial food crops that have been grown with all kinds of toxins thrown at them, and that can directly impact your health especially as you get older.”
Thus, as Mantha’s organic farming venture continued to grow, it eventually turned into a small family business. Today, he helms Hyderabad’s sole Farm to Table permaculture farm. His cafe, Sage Farm Cafe, is located in the Jubilee Hills. Recently, he also widened his horizons by trying out a new approach through his first-ever podcast appearance in ‘Candid with Bhagi,’ where he discussed his holistic practices.
Ravi Mantha Enjoys Travelling the World
Outside of his various professional practices, including his work as a healer and an active investor in numerous startups, Ravi Mantha seems to enjoy taking trips across the globe, immersing himself in new cultures and experiences. Most recently, he traveled to Japan, where he enjoyed Kyoto’s stunning vistas, Ishikawa’s charming attractions, and Yokohama’s springtime. He also visited known attractions such as the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama. Apart from the same, 2024 also took him to Telangana, where he attended the premiere of the film, ‘Gami’ with Vishwak Sen.
Nonetheless, one particular recent experience stuck out to Mantha when he got to watch a screening of ‘Srikanth,’ with his family, including his parents, wife Kavitha, and his sons. He also retains an interest in sports, particularly Cricket, and often shares his thoughts on the same on X (formerly known as Twitter). He’s also a regular blood donor and has donated more than a hundred times as of yet. Primarily a resident of Hyderabad, as the entrepreneur continues to undertake new adventures, he shares updates of his life across his various social media accounts.
Read More: Veera Swathi: Where is Srikanth Bolla’s Wife Now?
