Ravi Kishan opens up about shocking casting couch experience: ‘When you are young…’

Bhojpuri actor and politician Ravi Kishan shared his experiences with the casting couch, India's official Oscar entry ‘Laapataa Ladies’, his struggles to establish a career and journey in movies during recent media interviews.

Speaking to YouTuber Shubhankar Mishra, Kishan spoke about how vulnerable men in the industry are targeted by sexual predators and advised taking the long road to success, according to a News18 report.

On the issue of Casting Couch…

“When you’re young and good-looking, when you’re fit but have no money, some people attempt to take advantage of you. This happens in several fields, not just in the films. They try their hand, and hope it works out. I have faced many such attacks in my youth… I would like to tell everyone out there that there are no shortcuts to success. I know of many people who’ve tried to take such shortcuts, and have regretted it immensely. They’ve slipped into addictions, or they’ve taken their lives,” he recounted.

But Kishan said that persevering will eventually lead to success, adding: “I haven’t seen anybody become a star through the shortcut method. Wait for your time to come; have patience. I would tell myself that one day the sun will rise for me. All my friends in the ’90s, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn, they became superstars. But I waited for my time.”

On Struggling to Establish his Identity…

Earlier this week at a Sahitya Aaj Tak session in New Delhi, Kishan shared his struggles with establishing an identity in the industry and spoke about his body of work, according to a PTI report.

“I had to struggle a lot to create my identity. I acted in Hindi, Telugu, and films in almost every language. People watched me on television as well. I knew I had the craft of acting and wanted to create a fusion of naturalism and swag, but I didn’t get many opportunities to showcase that. People often say they have walked the path to success; I have crawled my way up. There is a lot of tapasya and struggle behind this Ravi Kishan. I have covered the streets of Mumbai on foot, lived in a house made of mud, and survived on vada pav,” he added.

“India is a big country with a population of 140 crore people. I had no godfather, but I always believed that the sun would rise in my life too. I just had to wait,” he added.

Kishan is immensely popular in Bhojpuri cinema with hit movies like "Panditji Batai Na Biyah Kab Hoyi" and "Banke Bihari MLA", among others. In Bollywood, he has credits in films such as "Hera Pheri", "Tere Naam", "Raavan", "Mukkabaaz", "Batla House" and most recently "Laapataa Ladies".

On Laapataa Ladies…

The movie was recently announced as India's official entry for 2025 Academy Awards and Kishan shared his feelings on this, saying, “It was made on a budget of just ₹5 crore and broke records in India and several countries, including Japan. Now, it’s going to the Oscars. It’s an original film that talks about women’s empowerment and organic farming. I just pray that it wins.”

In the movie, Kishan plays the role of police officer Shyam Manohar, who investigates the case of missing brides.

On Bhojpuri Cinema…

The actor also said that it is his dream to bring respect to Bhojpuri cinema.

"I am the man who heralded the third phase of Bhojpuri cinema, and today it employs over 1 lakh people. By the time actors junior to me moved to Bombay, I had already set the stage for them.

"Unfortunately, I feel a bit unhappy with my juniors. They have spoiled Bhojpuri cinema’s reputation. Bhojpuri is a language spoken by 25 crore people, and I am very proud of it. I have even presented a bill to give it greater importance," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)