Ravi Kishan: ‘I don’t have the time to put all my energy to set up the Bhojpuri industry again’

Also Read: Despite working with Dharmendra and Salman Khan, Ravi Kishan’s Bollywood career didn’t take off; actor says ‘hurt and anger’ pushed him towards Bhojpuri films

 

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“I was tired of playing second lead, third lead characters when I got the opportunity to do a Bhojpuri film called Saiyaan Hamaar. I took it up because I was very frustrated with struggling for 8-9 years, that film gave me big success and I never looked back. Then I got Bigg Boss and that show put the regional actor stamp on me, which got washed out with Laapataa Ladies. But after Bigg Boss, I got films with Mani Ratnam and Shyam Benegal, and I returned to Bollywood, but there was never a day I thought I would have to pack my bags and leave,” he added.

The Bhojpuri industry, meanwhile, has been suffering for a few years now. When asked what led to this, Ravi Kishan shared, “Because all of my junior heroes just want to make money, not spend on direction or writing. Now it is very difficult to gain that momentum. I had made it reach to the status of winning a National Award, but all the junior superstars destroyed the industry. Now the audience has outgrown them, they are not going to theaters, and films are shifting to OTT.”

He also added, “They don’t understand that while money is important, it is equally necessary to focus on the cinema. I don’t know how will they handle the industry now. I don’t have the time to put all my energy there to set up the industry again. How much will I be able to do alone when the others won’t understand?”

Watch Ravi Kishan’s exclusive interview here:

Talking about Lapataa Ladies getting nominated for the Oscars, Ravi Kishan said, “I have waited 34 years for this. People come up in life, I have crawled my way to success. God has been kind, my time has come and it has just begun, I feel blessed that Kiran Rao gave me this opportunity. Not just me, even my fans have waited for me to get that chance.”

On the work front, Ravi Kishan was last seen in Singham Again. He is also now hosting a special segment on Bigg Boss 18 called Haaye Daiyaa with Ravi Bhaiyya.