Ravi Kishan Shukla, popularly known as Ravi Kishan, is a versatile personality who has carved a niche for himself as an actor, film producer, television personality, and lately, as a politician actively campaigning for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Currently a Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur, his filmi creations and performances have been mainly in Bhojpuri as well as Hindi cinema and of late inTelugu cinema as well.
Having released a rap song Gujarat ma Modi che on social media platforms ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections, Ravi Kishan has gone on record that he would also make a biopic on Modi. In a conversation with The Pioneer’s Shikha Duggal, the Race Gurram star comes across as the quintessential beloved Bhojpuri star who knows how to strike a chord with the target audience.
Sung a mix rap song for the first time
As political parties geared up for the crucial Gujarat assembly election in 2022, as BJP MP from Gorakhpur I released my Gujarati-Bhojpuri mix rap song ‘Gujarat ma Modi che’. I sung a mixed rap song for the first time and the song has been released on social media platforms.The song talks about PM Modi’s honesty and his policy against nepotism and corruption and about the development of Gujarat. The Gujarati-Bhojpuri mix rap also describes developments in Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi and the heritage of Sardar Patel, and Somnath Dwarka. I am elated that it’s garnering millions of views and has become a viral sensation.
Extraordinary friend to my kids
My younger daughter is preparing to serve the country. She is a trained NCC cadet. Other daughters are on their own entrepreneurial journeys. I want to be their extraordinary friend, with whom they can chat about anything and be safe under my shelter. My children altered my life in a big way! Their generation has so much to offer to mankind. It is not necessary for them to mark the same path that I did; yet, they make me feel proud in their respective professions.
Coming from a Pandit family
I belong to a Pandit family. We are steeped in Vedic scriptures and follow dharma as part of our core beliefs. Despite being part of such a serious atmosphere at home, I found my way to naughtiness. As a youngster, I was always busy either playing cricket or enacting filmi scenes in my village. People walk their ladder to success; I crawled is what I’ll announce! The only wealth my father gave me was honesty and values. As soon as he died, from an affluent family we started to crumble down. Farms and house were sold.
This downfall taught me my biggest learning of life: the shoes you wear show your prosperity. No idea from where I used to finish doing my work-out and wear shoes and sit. I couldn’t see anyone affronting my father for the sake of money; even as a growing child, watching it used to anger me. So, my first battle was to bring luxury back to my home!
About acting
I have been a hard-core fan of Mithun Chakraborty. Who knew he’d become a friend of mine. It happened. The first payment to me wasRs 25,000. I was still in debt. My first asset was a motorbike that I owned, bought with my own money. A renowned director taught me not to focus on what I wear, but on how I look and act. And that’s when I grabbed a film with Akshay Kumar! It was Tere Naam with Salman Khan that turned out to be a game-changer for me. The first Bhojpuri film that came my way gave me Rs 75,000, but I persuaded the team to spend Rs 25,000 out of it on creating good action scenes. At that time, the industry had come to a dead end! But it was my mother who insisted that I should continue in this industry because she felt villagers weregoing to come and watch me as a lead. In no time, I became a Bhojpuri star and I never looked back thereafter.
Not an orthodox state
A revelation from my side: my state is not obnoxious at all! From the time my beloved Minister Yogi Adityanath picked up the command, their lives have been changing and I am a witness to it. We are unnecessarily being pushed to the peculiar paradox of someone else’s ideological brethren. We didnot start caste system or social inequality – it was the ethnic system. Instead, the Chief Minister is doing his best to transform the culture of marginalized communities there. The Uttar Pradesh government is inching closer to working out the final roadmap for development of different sectors to turn the state into a trillion-dollar economy in the next five years. Isn’t this worth appreciating?
The Government of UP has also announced a new rule for jobs on compassionate grounds,which means dependent grandchildren of teachers and non-teaching staff of government schools in the state will get jobson the basis of this. Then, bigger news: Israel has expressed desire to invest in the state! Awareness on gausanskriti has also started. These are all examples that the state in which I was born is not at all an orthodox one.
I like political leaders who speak the truth
Politics is everywhere. I like those political leaders who speak the truth and don’t mold the facts to their own benefits by bringing some forged papers ahead. The BJP has created the biggest expressway of the country in three years. Politics on that wasn’t needed. Stop belittling only one party and stop passing sarcastic comments on us. Elections should be fair, not a dirty mud-slinging ground. Why is my state progressing? Because we don’t lie!
Crowds on or inside the buses don’t make the elections, but voters do. I still don’t understand, why do few of our own hate Hindus? Why do they target Hindus for mob-lynching? The current generation should go back to history because history is repeating itself and we are just saving it. Writers like Salman Rushdie aren’t even leaving our deities; he’s passing comments on them too. How’s this valid? He has said there is no existence of Ram, how dare he! They just want to make crass headlines everyday;, he couldn’t accept openly that he hates us. This is blatant hypocrisy!
Father lashed with belt for choosing acting
When I approached my father suggesting that I would like to act, to my surprise he lashed me with a leather belt. He was a priest. To him, acting meant ‘nachaniya’. There were severe social restrictions, but I could see theatre thriving. As for my father, to be part of cinema was a total taboo! While we are superstars today, to get this recognition a few of us went through long-lasting fire and fury from families. He finally nodded a yes to me when I made him understand that it is not the lowest of low professions at all.
Ardent Mahadev follower
I am an ardent Mahadev follower. I cannot start my day without seeking the blessings of Lord Shiva. He enchants beauty; he calms me down. Whenever yousee the image of Shiva, I am sure he’ll take your breath away. I am so spiritual that I just don’t leave home without venerating Him.
First MTNL phone
I was so crazy behind getting projects that I got my first MTNL phone and used to do its pooja. It maybe funny for others and those who are reading this; but to me, it was the only source of film project that I’ll receive. My thought used to be Bas phone bajjaye aur koi kaam offer karde. I used to do it’s tilak pooja too! Imagine, it was the struggle of an innocent man who had surrendered himself to the Almighty. Struggle is not always saddening; it carries a beauty to it too and that you understand later in life like I did. If you don’t have your stories of struggling days, then your life is an empty sheet of paper – just so blank!
There are no advantages to being a politician
The stakes are even higher for us now. A slight turn of carelessness, and kaboom! Not just my own fans, even the active citizens of the country will start catching hold of you. There’s no joy ride here. Even after having a clean sweep, I still am the simple Member of Parliament who is devoted to his responsibilities. As an actor, many of my colleagues also have perspectives towards the politics of this country and the one who I don’t associate with some of his viewpoints was Vir Das. He spread a gloom of sadness for us back in the country then. Our country’s poverty has been sold for commercial purposes for ages, earlier through movies and the current passing was via a stand-up comedy act.
I worked with him! What was he trying to do? Garner applause from foreigners by belittling his own country? That’s why Indian students are attacked abroad! Love your culture; don’t make propaganda out of it.
Graduate in Commerce
The Wikipedia entry on me says I haven’t finished my education; it’s absolutely false. I am a graduate in Commerce! The worst part was low attendance. My scores in Maths always put me in trouble. And tracing my roots to acting, I used to perform in Ramlila plays too wearing my mother’s saree. That was my calling, I truly believe in this. As soon as someone turns on the music, you’ll see me tapping my feet.
Love for Jaunpur
Jaunpur is a very small village, and the residents are a family. It is this beautiful facet of it that makes me want to visit it once a year, no matter what. Plus, they find a sense of pride in me which also swells my chest with equal regards. There is not just Hinduism transcending there, but the culture of Sufi knowledge is also a part of it, which makes my village of interesting diversity. Jaunpur is also quite famous for jewellery-making and enamelwork. We had bountiful land when I was growing up. Today the development is such that everyone has fertile lands as their prized possessions.
Stint in Bigg Boss
Post my stardom in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, I was offered Bigg Boss. The famous dialogue took birth in that house and it’s a cult today. I was in the top three, my career graph expanded more! Even though I was doing three shifts in a day, my wife insisted that I should enter the Bigg Boss house. She noticed that maybe I was giving way too much importance to money, so she wanted me to send for a detox for a while. I had even become too short-tempered, getting annoyed by silly things. She sent me there to come out as a collected man, to introspect. Little did she know it was a mad house (he laughed) but I left the house as a sorted man. It taught me the importance of family, above all.
Mani Ratnam and ShyamBenegal’s team approached me, Ifelt obliged. That created my career in the Hindi belt also! With the onset of my stardom, now Gorakhpur is also a shooting spot. Nevertheless, I still can’t forget when I had seen a time too – a producer duped me, and the same producer was seen at a bus-stop then. He was convincing me of a very unfair barter system: dub for a role without a penny or else he’ll edit my character from the movie. As a newcomer, I wanted recognition; so, I had settled for the role without a single penny.
Telugu cinema
When I was working for Telugu cinema, I found their professionalism tremendous and worth applauding. Their priority is to be on time and stars abide by it! Their motive is to create an inventive environment. So, whenever I am in Hyderabad, the one person I am bound to meet is Allu Arjun. I worship my cinema work. When I go back to my vanity van, I remove my make-up and refresh myself immediately and sit for a while inside it to relax.
My technicians also teach me something new daily! I love interacting with all the crew members; I have no airs about being a politician even now.
