New Delhi: Actor and BJP MP Ravi Kishan Friday said that the Bhojpuri industry is at its dying stages. Speaking at a session at the ongoing International Film Festival Delhi, the actor, who kickstarted his career as a Bhojpuri superstar, lamented the shortfall of the regional industry.
“What the Bhojpuri film industry lacks are good writers and passion—the kind you see in Dhurandhar or Maamla Legal Hai. Bhojpuri cinema is almost dead now. No one goes to theatres anymore. Everyone watches on their phones,” Kishan said, adding that Dhurandhar has changed the landscape of Hindi cinema, and every industry needs a refresh like that.
The session, titled ‘History of Bhojpuri Cinema’, delved into Kishan’s own journey of being a failed Bollywood actor to his award-winning performance in Laapata Ladies (2024), which was India’s official entry to the Oscars 2024.
Reflecting on the history of the Bhojpuri film industry, Kishan traced its roots back to 1962 and the vision of India’s first President, Rajendra Prasad. Kishan highlighted the industry’s resurgence, which has since employed more than 1,00,000 people.
“Rajendra Prasad was travelling on a flight with Nazir Hussain in 1962. Rajendra ji asked why films are not being made in Bhojpuri. That’s when Nazir ji wrote Ganga Maiya on the flight, and that was the beginning of the industry,” said Kishan.
‘Mother pushed me into Bhojpuri films’
Kishan made his debut in the Bhojpuri industry with the romantic film, Saiyan Hamar (2003). It became a massive hit, and soon, Kishan became synonymous with the industry. Over the years, he has acted in multiple Indian languages, including Telugu, Gujarati and Bengali.
However, Kishan failed to make a mark in the Hindi film industry, which started in 1996 with Pitambar. The actor spoke of his struggle as others like Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn soon became stars, but he felt left out. When he got the offer for Bhojpuri films, he was unsure because the industry was dying.
It was his mother who encouraged him to take up the offer. “I told her no one watches Bhojpuri. Then she said it is okay if no one else watches it, the villagers will. That was a mother’s intuition,” said Kishan.
That became a turning point in the actor’s life, who would later also take up supporting and villain roles in Hindi films like Phir Hera Pheri (2006), Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008), and Mukkabaaz (2017). The man who could not get work earlier would shoot for three films a day, and signed 17 films in one go.
“I have done 750 films and 450 Bhojpuri films. My Bhojpuri film also got a national award. The industry gave employment to 1,00,000,” said Kishan, who graduated to politics in 2014 by joining Congress and eventually leaving the party for the BJP. He became an MP from Gorakhpur in 2019.
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‘Inspired by Modi & Yogi’
The session about Bhojpuri cinema was followed by another on his Netflix show Maamla Legal Hai, whose second season will be out on 3 April. The hall was packed with Kishan’s fans, who surrounded the actor for selfies. Kishan plays advocate Visheswar D Tyagi, who practices at the fictional Patparganj court of Delhi.
Kishan’s antics, especially dancing after the shoot, are used in the latest season to show the quirkiness of his character.
“I keep fans happy with my work, and use it for politics,” he said, elaborating on how he balances his film and political career. Kishan also added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inspire him.
One audience member asked how many paans Kishan had to chew to perfect the viral moment from Laapata Ladies, where he looks at a photo and says, ‘Sundar hai be’ (She is pretty) while his mouth is stuffed with paan. Kishan responded that he chewed 160 betelnut leaves over a week to perfect that scene.
Kishan also mentioned how he drew inspiration from a real-life policeman from Bihar, from one of his trips to the state, to play the role of the cop in the film.
“Because of my work in films and politics, I meet hundreds of people on a regular basis. I observe them and always ask a lot of questions. I draw inspiration from them to play the characters I get in films,” said Kishan.
Hs 2024 film Mahadev Ka Gorakhpur was also screened at the festival. He added that the industry needs a deewana (mad genius) like him to revive the industry.
“Since I am a parliamentarian and I am busy with Hindi cinema, I am not able to do Bhojpuri. But of course, if I get a good script, I will do a wonderful and meaningful film very soon,” said the actor.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)