Dussehra festivities are a different high for Ravi Kishan
Dussehra means new clothes and festive food. I remember, (a scene where) meri maa poori bana rahin hain aur papa pooja ghar mein ghanti baja rahe hain aur bagal mein loudspeaker pe koi shlok baj raha hai. All that is a different high for me,” says Ravi Kishan.
The actor-turned-politician was recently in Delhi to play Angad at Nav Shree Manav Dharm Ramleela in Derawal Nagar. Kishan has been coming back to the Capital to portray some or the other character in the Delhi’s Ramlilas for years now, which also revives his memories of portraying Sita in the Ramlila at his hometown in Uttar Pradesh, during his growing up years. More than 600 multilingual films and a couple of popular reality shows later, he still gets a kick by performing for a live audience.
Recalling an incident when he was portraying Kevat in another Ramlila, also in Delhi, the 50-year-old says, “Two years back, dialogue boltebolte manch pe zor se barsat ho gayi, and due to the rain, ek character ki mooch gir gayi. That was hilarious! Sab bhaagam bhaag ho gaya, and we were shifted from the big stage to a much smaller one in a room, where we continued to perform because usko (scene) khatm karna tha…”
Kishan says he understands that “life mein planning honi chahiye” but he doesn’t live a planned life. He says, “I don’t know mera paanch minute baad kya hoga, I don’t know what am I gonna do… Mai bada muhfat aadmi hun, agar mera baat karne ka man nahi hoga toh mai bol dunga ki abhi baat nahi karte.”
Calling his present schedule busy would be an understatement as he sips cups of black coffee and lets himself indulge in his passion for acting amid fulfilling his responsibilities of being the Gorakhpur MP. What drives him is his connect with nature and Lord Shiva. “I’m a Shiva devotee; and I get all this energy from him,” says Kishan, adding, “Acting nahi jani chahiye; because of acting I’m here. Acting ki paribhasha badal jani chahiye. Like Akshay Kumar doing good, message-driven films. Like I
Two years back, dialogue bolte-bolte manch pe zor se barsat ho gayi, and due to the rain, ek character ki mooch gir gayi. That was hilarious! Sab bhaagam bhaag ho gaya...
RAVI KISHAN ACTOR-POLITICIAN
did Batla House. I feel we need to connect ourselves with message-driven cinema and ab pedon ke peeche bhaagna nahi chahiye. I also want to make a Bhojpuri film on Modiji [Prime Minister Narendra Modi], and I’m definitely going to play the part very well!”