Upamanyu Biswas
In the biopic drama ‘Srikanth,’ the narrative follows the titular character—Srikanth Bolla—a blind man with exceptionally resilient aspirations who traverses an inspirational path that often comes with many grisly challenges. His journey as an up-and-coming entrepreneur hits a roadblock when the influence of political affiliations threatens to steer him off the path he sought to travel initially. In the latter half of the narrative, the titular protagonist faces the prospect of growing his business through the aid of political support from Vidya Reddy, the minister of the Swarna Rashtriya Party. Swayed by her pitch, Srikanth moves away from his developmental plans for his company and embeds himself within the good graces of the political leader who wishes to use him to her advantage. Like several real elements within the film’s narrative, the genesis of Vidya Reddy is an intriguing topic. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Vidya Reddy is a Fictional Political Personality
The character of Vidya Reddy, whose influence incites a divide between the eponymous protagonist and those close to him, is a fictional creation in ‘Srikanth.’ She was conceived by Jagdeep Siddhu and Sumit Purohit, who drafted the screenplay under the direction of Tushar Hiranandani. The film’s opening scrawl reveals that while the story is inspired by the extraordinary real-life achievements of Srikanth Bolla, some creative liberties were taken in the inception of the narrative, including the fictionalization of certain characters. Minister Vidya Reddy is one of those elements, as she showcases an interest in Srikanth for his visual impairment, using it cynically as a weapon for gaining more approval among her supporter base.
In 2019, Srikanth expressed a desire to join the YSR Congress Party—shortened from Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party—a regional political party in Andhra Pradesh. He wanted to strive towards completing some of his loftier goals in life. Several years ago, in 2006, during a flood relief event, Srikanth caught the eye of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam when he said, “I want to become the first visually impaired President of India.” Thus, to pursue those big dreams, he was prepared to cast himself with the YSRCP. While Vidya Reddy does not exist in real life, the architect of the YSRCP, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, shares a surname similar to hers.
Jagan Mohan Reddy initially began his political career as a member of the Indian National Congress and later had a fallout with them on November 29, 2010. He exited the Congress party and founded the YSRCP a few months later – the same party that Srikanth expressed a desire to join. In 2019, Reddy’s party won the National and State Elections by a landslide, leading to him being inducted into the Chief Minster’s Office, where he took oath as the 17th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Thus, both Vidya Reddy and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy share certain similarities in their ministry role and their party’s link to Srikanth Bolla.
However, the timeline of the two political leaders’ connection to Srikanth differs in the cinematic and real-life events. In the film, Srikanth makes his foray into politics before 2017, which doesn’t line up with his intention to join the YSR Congress Party in 2019. Furthermore, the purpose of Vidya Reddy’s addition to the narrative is to sow division between Srikanth and Ravi Mantha, whose relationship is at the heart of Bollant Industries. As such, her storyline remains a largely fictitious—element ripe with narrative significance but free of a tangible, real-life counterpart. Despite the character being fictional in conception, her impact on the story is pivotal as she sets up the narrative’s climax. It also reflects upon the protagonist’s real intentions to jump into the political field as an aspirational man looking to make a mark.
The Fictional Roots of the Swarna Rashtriya Party
The Swarna Rashtriya Party depicted in ‘Srikanth’ is a fictional party also constructed by Jagdeep Siddhu and Sumit Purohit. According to the narrative, the Party is run by Minister Vidya Reddy, who wishes to utilize Srikanth’s visual impairment as a means to garner support by including him within the group. This ulterior motive is at the heart of the agenda for Reddy, who only seeks seats for the upcoming elections and has no vested interest in the work done by Srikanth at his factory. His inclusion within the Swarna Rashtriya Party serves the goals of everyone involved as it helps spread a positive reputation among the public.
As mentioned before, Srikanth Bolla expressed a wish to join the YSR Congress Party in 2019. The Swarna Rashtriya Party may be a fictional mirror to the real-life organization that Srikanth wanted to fuse with. During that period, a spokesperson for the Party said, “The Party is very happy to have him as its member. The Party is eagerly waiting to work with this visually challenged person.” This aligns with the sentiment displayed by Vidya Reddy, the minister in charge of the SRP, who makes it a goal to include Srikanth into the Party’s fold to gain valuable influence. However, as suggested by the opening scrawl, the film fictionalizes certain events.
A similarly named political party can be found in the Swatantra Bharat Party, formerly known as the Swarna Bharat Party, before its merger with the Swatantra Bharat Paksha in 2022. The Party hails to be the first liberal Party in India to be driven by a commitment to freedom of speech and expression, something they espouse as an issue in the rigid societal structures of the country. They hope to change the prevailing attitude within people’s mindsets and bring a new perspective and outlook to the fight for freedom and progress for the nation. Despite sharing similar names, the Swarna Bharat Party and the Swarna Rashtriya Party are not connected to each other.
In the case of the latter, the film depicts the Swarna Rashtriya Party as ready to employ underhanded tactics like recruiting Srikanth to garner votes in the upcoming election. Such cases showcase a lack of ethical and moral fiber on the part of the party members and leader. However, that is precisely the purpose of the Swarna Rashtriya Party, whose essential part in the narrative is to seduce the protagonist with visions of glory and power rather than staying true to his purpose. Although it doesn’t exist in real life, it is a key player in inducing tension within the narrative’s latter half and providing obstacles for Srikanth.
Read more: Veera Swathi: Where is Srikanth Bolla’s Wife Now?
