Ravi Kishan Credits OTT for Career Revival, From Darkness to Spotlight

Actor and MP Ravi Kishan reflects on his 34-year career, crediting the rise of OTT platforms for reviving the careers of himself and fellow actors like Manoj Bajpayee. He describes moving from an era with only Doordarshan to one where digital platforms provided crucial opportunities. Kishan states that OTT helped him break free from being typecast solely as a "Bhojpuri superstar" or parliamentarian. He is now promoting the second season of his show "Maamla Legal Hai," which is based on true events and streams on Netflix.

Key Points: Ravi Kishan: OTT Revived My Career from Darkness

  • OTT revived careers
  • 750 projects in 34 years
  • Broke Bhojpuri stereotype
  • New season of Maamla Legal Hai
  • Based on true events
3 min read

Ravi Kishan says OTT brought back actors to life from darkness

Actor-politician Ravi Kishan says OTT platforms brought him & others back to life, breaking the "Bhojpuri superstar" stereotype. Details inside.

Ravi Kishan says OTT brought back actors to life from darkness
"Actors like me... were brought back to life by OTT from the world of darkness. - Ravi Kishan"

Mumbai, April 6

He's 34-years-old in showbiz and has 750 projects to his credit today, actor-politician Ravi Kishan has looked back at his journey from the era of Doordarshan, to the time when strugglers had few avenues, and how the rise of OTT platforms revived his career, bringing him "back to life from darkness".

Talking about his journey after 750 projects, Ravi told IANS: "When I started, there was only Doordarshan, no option for strugglers. There are 15 lakh strugglers in Mumbai. Then the time came, then the channel came, then the serials came and people started getting work."

The Mumbai-born actor talked about how OTT turned out to be a whiff of fresh air for talents like him.

"Then what did OTT do? Actors like me, Manoj Bajpayee, Pankaj Tripathi, all my friends and colleagues, all of them were brought back to life by OTT from the world of darkness. It brought me back," said Ravi, who left an impressionable mark with his stint in the maiden season "Bigg Boss" with his catchphrase "Zindagi Jhandwa Fir Bhi Ghamandwa."

He added that people thought of Ravi Kishan as just a "Bhojpuri superstar" or a "parliamentarian".

"'This man can do Laapata Ladies? This police officer, sitting in a small room of 10 or 12, with a betel leaf, can do VD Tyagi in Maamla Legal Hai. This is Ravi Kishan? Thanks to this OTT, in all that darkness, people were forgetting the artists living in hell. Or they wanted to forget them by giving them a blanket," said Ravi, who currently serves as Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur since 2019.

"I am also one of them. So, this transformation that I have seen," he added.

Ravi is now excited about the release of the second season of Maamla Legal Hai and has promised that it is a "binge watch".

"You will love it if you do because this is the first season... This is the first series that has come in, which has gone into rerun and trending. I remember about Blacklist."

"This is the magic of this show, which spans. This is a show about India...A small court case, a case of lawyers. Every person, whether they are a farmer or a tycoon of a city, has a lawyer in their life. And it is about their (lawyers') personal life."

"That is the beautiful part about this series. And the real, true events. Like in Bihar, recently, a horse-riding smuggler was running away. Police came after him with alcohol. Because alcohol is banned in Bihar. He ran away. The horse-riding smuggler who jumped into the jungle ran away. The next day, it was published in the newspaper that the horse was standing in the police station."

"Maamla Legal Hai 2" is streaming on Netflix.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Aman W
Respect for his honesty. The struggle is real for lakhs of artists in Mumbai. OTT did open doors, but we also need to ensure it doesn't become another monopoly like the old film studios. Diversity of content and fair pay for all artists is key.
R
Rohit P
His journey is inspiring. From Bhojpuri superstar to a nuanced actor on OTT. It shows talent always finds a way. Excited for Maamla Legal Hai Season 2! The first season was hilarious and so relatable to our Indian legal system.
S
Sarah B
While I appreciate his sentiment, I feel he's overlooking the many actors still in the "darkness." OTT revived some established names, but what about the fresh faces? The competition is fiercer than ever. The platform is great, but the entry barrier is still high.
K
Karthik V
"Zindagi Jhandwa Fir Bhi Ghamandwa" – that phrase still cracks me up! 😄 Good to see him getting his due. OTT content feels more authentic and closer to ground reality than many big-budget films. Shows like these are made for Indian audiences by people who understand our quirks.
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Nisha Z
750 projects! That's some serious dedication. His point about the horse smuggling news being used in the show is what makes OTT special – they pick up real, quirky Indian stories that Bollywood would never touch. More of this, please!

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