I fought to create my identity: Ravi Kishan on journey in movies, Bhojpuri cinema, ‘Laapataa Ladies’

NEW DELHI — Actor-politician Ravi Kishan on Sunday said he faced immense struggles in establishing his identity in cinema but always held on to the belief that his “sunrise” would eventually come.

As an actor, Kishan is one of the most popular stars of Bhojpuri cinema with hit films such as “Panditji Batai Na Biyah Kab Hoyi” and “Banke Bihari MLA”. He has also made a mark in Hindi movies like “Hera Pheri”, “Tere Naam”, “Raavan”, “Mukkabaaz”, “Batla House” and “Laapataa Ladies”.

“I had to struggle a lot to create my identity. I acted in Hindi, Telugu, and films in almost every language. People watched me on television as well. I knew I had the craft of acting and wanted to create a fusion of naturalism and swag, but I didn’t get many opportunities to showcase that,” the actor said.

“People often say they have walked the path to success; I have crawled my way up. There is a lot of tapasya and struggle behind this Ravi Kishan. I have covered the streets of Mumbai on foot, lived in a house made of mud, and survived on vada pav,” he added.

He was speaking at a session during the Sahitya Aaj Tak at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here.

To aspiring actors, Kishan had a piece of advice — never get disheartened.

“India is a big country with a population of 140 crore people. I had no godfather, but I always believed that the sun would rise in my life too. I just had to wait,” he added.

As a son of a priest, Kishan said he inherited nothing, except for “spirituality and honesty” from his father.

“As a child, I did theatre and played Sitaji in Ram Leela. I’ve even been thrashed by my father, who would say, ‘Nachaniya banbe’ (you’ll become a dancer) because, as a Brahmin in the 80s and 90s, he couldn’t understand my aspirations,” he said.

Kishan has done hundreds of movies in his long career but has a special place for Kiran Rao’s “Laapataa Ladies”, which was recently announced as India’s official entry for 2025 Academy Awards.

“It was made on a budget of just Rs 5 crore and broke records in India and several countries, including Japan. Now, it’s going to the Oscars. It’s an original film that talks about women’s empowerment and organic farming. I just pray that it wins,” he said.

Starring Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta and Sparsh Shrivastav in the lead roles,“Laapataa Ladies” is a heartwarming and empowering take on two brides in rural India in 2001 who accidently get swapped during a train journey. The film is produced by Rao’s Kindling Productions and Aamir Khan Productions.

In the movie, Kishan plays the role of police officer Shyam Manohar, who investigates the case of missing brides.

“People often ask me, ‘How do you stay so organic and fresh on screen?’ I have a habit of observing people wherever I am and storing them in my mind as characters for reference. 

“For the role of police officer Shyam Manohar, I based the character on a real-life cop I met in Bihar. He was just like Manohar, speaking with a paan in his mouth. I found his personality unique and kept him in mind,” he said.

The actor also said that it is his dream to bring respect to Bhojpuri cinema.

“I am the man who heralded the third phase of Bhojpuri cinema, and today it employs over 1 lakh people. By the time actors junior to me moved to Bombay, I had already set the stage for them. 

“Unfortunately, I feel a bit unhappy with my juniors. They have spoiled Bhojpuri cinema’s reputation. Bhojpuri is a language spoken by 25 crore people, and I am very proud of it. I have even presented a bill to give it greater importance,” he said.

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