750+ फिल्में कीं, स्टार बने, गरीबी का डर नहीं गया: रवि किशन बोले- सेवन स्टार होटल में अच्छा खाना ऑर्डर करने से डरता हूं

The journey which started with poverty and measuring Mumbai on foot, has today reached 750+ films and Parliament.

A boy from a mud house, burdened with responsibilities on the family, mortgage of the farm and a struggle among 12 people to feed. Then a trip to Mumbai, where days were spent on vada pav and tea and for 15 years I did not get respectable money for my work. This is the picture of Ravi Kishan’s life, which he has not been able to forget even today.

Ravi Kishan, who once struggled to get work, achieved stardom in Bhojpuri cinema, made a name for himself in Hindi films and OTT and is now active in politics as well. Ravi Kishan, who has traveled the journey of more than 750 films, is today the Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur for the second time.

Some more special things related to the life and career of Ravi Kishan in today’s success story.

The story started from a mud house

Ravi Kishan was born on 17 July 1969 in Mumbai (then Bombay), but due to economic circumstances, his childhood was spent in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. The family was going through financial crisis. The farm was mortgaged and the responsibilities of the house were increasing. Later, making acting his dream, he moved to Mumbai.

Recalling his struggle, Ravi Kishan has said that his family lived in extreme poverty. There was a time when only one Khichdi was prepared for 12 people and water was added to it to fill the stomach. While talking to Shubhankar Mishra, Ravi Kishan had said – Saw extreme poverty. We are people of extreme poverty. Only one khichdi is being prepared, 12 people are eating it, filled with water.” According to him, poverty was not just an economic condition, but that experience became a part of his personality.

Reached Mumbai at the age of 17

Ravi Kishan was fond of acting since childhood. He used to play the role of Mother Sita in Ramlila in the village and used to wear her mother’s saree for this. When her priest father saw her in the role of Sita, he hit her hard with a belt, due to which her skin got peeled. After this, the mother got scared and gave 500 rupees and said that son, run away, otherwise he will be killed today. To save his life, he ran away from home and took a train to Mumbai. At that time Ravi was 17 years old.

‘People come walking, I have come crawling’

He closely saw the struggle behind the shine of the film industry in Mumbai. There was neither any big film background here, nor strong financial support nor recognition in the industry. Ravi Kishan says- People come walking, I have come crawling. When I came to Mumbai, it used to be Bombay. Papa was against my acting career.

He used to say – ‘Nachaniya banbe ka re’. They wanted me to do farming, do a government job or sell milk. But I was not interested in these things. I just enjoyed dancing. This was my God’s gift. I continued on this path. It took a lot of time.

Got work in Hindi cinema, but no recognition

Ravi Kishan started his acting career in Hindi films in the 1990s. Did films like ‘Pitamber’, ‘Aag Ka Toofan’, ‘Rani Aur Maharani’, ‘Jakhmi Dil’, ‘Udhar Ki Zindagi,’ Terror, Koi Kisi Se Kam Nahin, Agni Morcha. But these films neither brought any special recognition nor respectable remuneration. According to Ravi Kishan, for about 15 years in the film industry, he did not get what he considered a respectable remuneration for his work.

Ravi Kishan got recognition from the film ‘Tere Naam’

In Hindi films, Ravi Kishan caught the attention of the audience when he was seen in the role of Pandit Rameshwar in the film ‘Tere Naam’.

Ravi Kishan had told how he got this film. Once he met director Satish Kaushik in Nitin Manmohan’s office. Satish Kaushik had said that he wanted a boy who would play the role of Pandit and become Bhumika Chawla’s fiance. Ravi Kishan agreed without any delay. He had told that even when Satish Kaushik asked him to get his hair cut, he immediately agreed. Ravi Kishan received National Award nomination for ‘Tere Naam’.

had to be humiliated again and again

But despite getting continuous work, Ravi Kishan was not getting the recognition he was looking for.

This was the period when along with proving himself as an actor, he had to understand that talent alone is not enough to survive in the industry. Language, background, identity and opportunity also matter. Recalling his experiences, Ravi Kishan said that he has faced insults thousands of times. Ravi Kishan says- “People get humiliated once or twice, I have been humiliated thousands of times. All this is a wonderful color of life.

Bhojpuri cinema changed life

After a long struggle in Hindi films, Ravi Kishan got a big opportunity in Bhojpuri cinema. In 2003, he entered Bhojpuri cinema with Mohanji Prasad’s film ‘Saiyaan Hamar’. Although, initially he was not sure about this industry, but the encouragement of his family made him move towards Bhojpuri films. This decision became the biggest turning point of his career.

He found such an audience in Bhojpuri cinema, which made him a star. He started appearing in films continuously and his popularity reached a large part of North India. According to Ravi Kishan himself, there came a time when he started getting offers for films continuously and he used to shoot several films in a day.

The actor who had to wait for recognition in Hindi cinema for a long time, became a big name in Bhojpuri cinema. From here the second chapter of his career began.

Bhojpuri star turned multi-language actor

After becoming a star in Bhojpuri, Ravi Kishan did not limit himself to films of just one language. Along with Hindi, he also worked in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films. His different characters were seen in films like ‘Phir Hera Pheri’, ‘Welcome to Sajjanpur’, ‘Raavan’, ‘Tanu Weds Manu’, ‘Bullet Raja’, ‘Mukkebaaz’, ‘Batla House’.

Apart from Hindi films, Ravi ‘Worked in many South films like ‘Race Gurram’, ‘Okka Ammai Tappa’, ‘Sakshyam’, ‘Hebbuli’, ‘Sketch’.

The specialty of Ravi’s career was that he did not insist only on becoming a hero. He also accepted supporting roles, villains and character roles. This is the reason that with time his identity became not just that of a Bhojpuri star, but that of an actor who could leave his mark in any character.

TV and OTT showed new range of acting

Along with films, Ravi Kishan also worked on TV and OTT. Projects like Rangbaaz, Hasmukh, Matsya Kand, The Whistleblower, Khaki: The Bihar Chapter and Mamla Legal Hai showcased the different shades of his acting. Especially the character of VD Tyagi in Mamla Legal Hai gave him a strong identity among the digital audience.

After this, the character of police officer Shyam Manohar in Missing Ladies revealed a new range of his acting. The film received praise from audiences and critics, and Ravi Kishan’s performance was highly praised.

The actor, whose career was once seen only as a Bhojpuri star, gradually established himself as a strong character artist of Hindi cinema and OTT.

Ravi Kishan was a contestant in the first season of ‘Bigg Boss’ (Bigg Boss 1). This season came in 2006 and they reached the finale; He had secured third place.

Journey of more than 750 films

The biggest figure in Ravi Kishan’s career is the number of films he has appeared in. He claims to have worked in more than 750 films in multiple languages ​​and his filmography includes Hindi, Bhojpuri as well as Telugu, Tamil and Kannada cinema. But for him, success is not just about the number of films.

The most important part of his story is that he did not stop working despite failure, rejection and financial struggle. He constantly changed himself between the period when he did not have enough money despite work and the period when he was praised for a film role.

Poverty is still with Ravi Kishan

The most interesting part of Ravi Kishan’s story is that even after having property worth crores, stardom and becoming an MP, the struggling boy inside him did not die completely. He says that even today when he goes to a seven star hotel, he hesitates in ordering expensive food. They like to eat khichdi. They are hesitant even in giving their clothes to the laundry.

Ravi Kishan says- “Even now when I go to a seven star hotel, I do not order good food, I still order khichdi.” They say that they get more happiness in spending on family than spending on themselves. The wife and children buy things like phones, clothes and shoes for him, while he spends freely on the needs and wants of the family.

In his words, he came out of poverty, but the mentality of poverty is still present somewhere within him.

Made insult not weakness but strength

Another thing was important in Ravi Kishan’s success – he did not keep bitterness about his struggle. He believes that the insults and rejections he faced in life made him stronger. According to him, struggle at a young age makes a person mature quickly. He says- “Insult is also okay at a young age. It makes one stronger and matures. One who does not see the struggle, he panics somewhere later.”

This thinking is visible in his career. He did not let the circumstances that went against him define him. When he got limited opportunities in Hindi, he went to Bhojpuri, became a star there and then returned and made his place in Hindi and other language films. When OTT came, he accepted new roles there too.

Entry into politics, first defeat and then comeback

After success in films, Ravi Kishan entered politics. In 2014, he contested the Lok Sabha elections from Jaunpur on Congress ticket, but he got only 4.25% votes and had to face defeat. After joining BJP in February 2017, he contested elections from Gorakhpur in 2019 and reached Lok Sabha for the first time with a big victory. In 2024, he won the Gorakhpur seat for the second consecutive time by defeating SP’s Kajal Nishad.

The search for characters continues even today

Ravi Kishan’s story is of coming out of poverty, rejection and struggle to reach Bhojpuri cinema, Bollywood, OTT and Parliament. Today he is present among the audience with different characters like Shyam Manohar of ‘Laapta Ladies’, VD Tyagi of ‘Mamla Legal Hai’ and Babban Babua of ‘Mirzapur – The Movie’. The actor who once spent his days on vada pav and tea, made his struggle and humiliation not weakness but strength.

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