Ravi Kishan is a famed Indian film actor whose works mainly encompasses Hindi films, Bhojpuri films and Indian television. In the arena of Bhojpuri cinema he cherishes substantial stardom and is regarded as Amitabh Bachchan of Bhojpuri cinema. He has starred in more than 200 films. The actor encountered much deprivation and struggle during the initial days of his career but soon earned much appreciations and fame in the celluloid. Apart from the entertainment world Ravi Kishan has also ventured into Indian politics and joined Indian National Congress, contesting 2014 Loksabha election from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
Early Life of Ravi Kishan
Ravi Kishan, also known as Ravi Kishan Shukla, was born on 17th July 1971 in Kerakat Tehsil of Jaunpur district in the Indian state Uttar Pradesh. As a child he used to dwell in a chawl in Santacruz and was the youngest of five siblings. His father was a priest and owned a small dairy business. However when he was 10 years old, their family business shut down and the family moved back to Jaunpur in U.P.
where they lived in a mud house and earned their livelihood through farming. At the age of 17 Ravi Kishen ran away to Mumbai with the assistance of his mother. However his father was against his dreams of stepping in the entertainment world and wanted him to do milk business. In Mumbai Ravi Kishan met his old friend Hriday Shetty who introduced him to a filmmaker.
Career of Ravi Kishan
Ravi Kishan made his cinematic debut with the film Pitambar which marked the beginning of his struggle in the film industry. He subsequently turned to Bhojpuri films as he had no work in Bollywood and soon gained a superstar status in the Bhojpuri film industry. Ravi Kishan has acted in numerous commercially successful Bhojpuri films, more often starring alongside the popular actress Nagma. In Bollywood he gained recognition with the movie Tere Naam in which he essayed the role of a priest for which he copied his father`s clothing to bring about authenticity.
In the year 2006 he became a part of the television reality show Big Boss which is the Indian version of the Netherlands TV reality show called Big Brother. In the year 2007, Ravi Kishan lent his voice to Toby Maguire (in Bhojpuri) as Spiderman in the film Spiderman 3. The film was credited as the first ever Hollywood blockbuster film which included a Bhojpuri dub in addition to Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. In addition to this, he also starred in the television show Ek Se Badhkar Ek which rendered him much fame in the entertainment world. In the year 2008 he co-hosted a celebrity dance based television reality show called Bathroom Singer. He has also anchored another reality show named Raaz Pichchle Janam Ka, for two seasons, which was aired on NDTV.
In his career Ravi Kishan has also bagged the opportunity of working with some of the eminent directors of Indian film industry such as Mani Ratnam and Shyam Benegal. He acted in the film Jala Debh Duniya Tohra Pyar Mein under the production of an American film company PUN Films. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the Indian Pavilion in the year 2010. He also participated in the dance based reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa season 5 in 2012. Some of his popular movies include Zakhmi Dil, Kudrat, Aan, Raavan, Phir Hera Pheri, Luck, Welcome to Sajjanpur, Dangerous Ishhq, Zilla Ghaziabad, Mere Dad Ki Maruti, Issaq, Bullet Raja and many more.
Achievements of Ravi Kishan
Ravi Kishan, in June 2008, won the award for the Most Popular Actor at ETV Bhojpuri Cinema Samman 2008.
Personal Life of Ravi Kishan
Ravi Kishan is married to Preeti and the couple is blessed with a son and three daughters.