Disappointed to have missed out on Gangs of Wasseypur: Ravi
Iwanted to work with Anurag Kashyap but he was told that I am expensive,” says actor Ravi Kishan, who has acted in Anurag Kashyap’s next, Mukkabaaz. He adds, “I have worked with Shyam Benegal and Mani Ratnam, and I am disappointed that I missed out on Gangs of Wasseypur because Anurag was told that I don’t work without an air conditioner or a vanity van and that I have three to four heroines in my entourage. Someone painted such a picture of me ke mere bahut drame hain (that I have too many airs), I am flamboyant, I live like a superstar and I charge crores for my fee. When I met Anurag, I told him that I wished he had contacted me. Hamara nuksaan ho gaya (it was my loss). I am not like any of those (descriptions) and I only want to do good work.”
Ravi adds he slashed his fee for the film. “People think I don’t live in Mumbai but I want to tell people, I have been part of Bollywood for the longest time and I still am. Anurag said, Nawaz [Nawazudding Siddiqui] ka ho gaya, Manoj Bajpayee ka ho gaya, ab Ravi par concentrate karte hai. He will make another film with me, he said.”
The Welcome To Sajjanpur (2008) actor is excited about Mukkabaaz, where he plays a boxing coach to the lead character, played by Vineet Singh. Ravi says, “Mukkabaaz is a sweet love story between a boxer and a strongheaded girl with a speech impairment, who is confident of her beauty. I love that women in Anurag’s films are all dabang (bold). And I think the story of the film is really good. My role of a coach in the film was exciting and interesting for me.”
Talking about the lack of physical education in India, Ravi says, “we should encourage the youth to play all kinds of sports and not just cricket. Our system needs to change and I hope the film drives the point home.”