Though Ravi Kishan has been working as an actor for over three decades, juggling between films and television shows, director Kiran Rao’s comedy drama ‘Missing Ladies’ (2023) established him as a performer in Bollywood, revealing his untapped potential and potential. As a star of the Bhojpuri film industry, it is a bit ironic that the thing that brought him back into the limelight in Hindi cinema was, as he once said, “a small film”.
As an outsider, Kishan made his acting debut in 1992 with the Bollywood film ‘Pitambar’, starring Mithun Chakraborty in the lead role. However, his path to fame and stardom was not easy, and the actor-turned-politician recently said that people who go through struggles in life consider him their “hero” because he represents them. He added that his life story “inspires” them. During his recent appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Kishan revealed that he had nothing when he started his journey. He said, “Still, people have been watching me for years. They have seen me everywhere: on stage, on television, and that too in different languages. Which place is there that I have not been to? 750 films is a huge number. Anywhere you go, you can see me or hear my voice. I consider it a blessing from Mahadev.” Speaking about the struggles he faced in his life before making a mark as an actor, Kishan said, “I have seen a lot of poverty. So much that I hated it. I grew up watching 12 people in my family eat the same khichdi, which was just a little rice and a lot of water. We all slept in a 10×12 room, sometimes on top of each other. Even the toilet was outside the house. I was extremely poor and fed up with poverty as well as taunts. I didn’t want to hear any more taunts from my father.”
When asked if casteism played a role in this, and if his life would have been different if he belonged to another caste, the actor-politician insisted that he would have become what he wanted to be, regardless of his community. He further said, “Ravi Kishan would have remained Ravi Kishan irrespective of his caste. This is because I had the blessings of Lord Shiva. And I did not want to die anonymously. Once I decided that I did not want to die anonymously, I was ready to do anything. If even your neighbour does not know about your demise, then what is the use of your coming to earth? You are not here just to have children or buy a bungalow. Identity is what matters, and money will automatically come. Name or price? Name! Once you have a name, everything will run after you.”
How to get that name and establish yourself? Ravi Kishan says, “Go to the gym every day. If you don’t have money to join a gym, then go for a run on the road every day. Run at least 3-5 kilometres. Do 200 pushups. Soak chickpeas in water overnight and the next morning drink the water and eat the soaked chickpeas. Even if you are poor, you get these things for free from the government; use them. At least, get up before sunrise and exercise every day. Watch the sunrise every day, and that will make all the difference.”
Kishan will next be seen in director Vijay Kumar Arora’s Son of Sardaar 2 alongside Ajay Devgn and Mrunal Thakur in the lead role. Directed by Ashwani Dhir, Son of Sardaar 2 will see Kishan playing the same role that was earlier set for Sanjay Dutt.
