He’s been part of the Hindi industry for close to three decades, but actor Ravi Kishan got a chance to lead from the front, in the web show Maamla Legal Hai. Kishan, who is revelling in all the love he has been receiving for his performance, says, “My performance is being appreciated and the nuances that even I missed, people have caught them. People found Ravi Kishan a surprise. Logon lo ek naya OTT face dikha hai.”

Prior to this, Kishan has been a part of web shows such as Rangbaaz, Hasmukh, Matsya Kaand, The Whistleblower and Khakee: The Bihar Chapter. However, he was always either there in a supporting capacity or in a cameo.

“I used to get only one ball and people would expect me to hit a six. But no one thought of giving me an entire over. I got this chance now and the entire country is appreciating and loving it,” he insists.

However, the 54-year-old credits OTT for keeping the “fire” in him alive. “I’ve now got the platform and opportunity to showcase myself, to show that your entire body can perform without being loud. I learnt to live the characters here. The OTT platforms give you a larger audience. The fact that they have their remotes in hand and you still can convince them to stay hooked, is a huge win. Ab log mere liye opportunities dhoondhna shuru kar diye hain,” he explains.

A lot of OTT content today delves into gritty and dark spaces. Kishan agrees that there was a void in the lighthearted space, which his show has filled.

“Every genre has an audience, but through this show, they tapped a wider audience as three generations of a family could sit and enjoy the show together. Its success is a surprise to me, too,” notes Kishan, adding, that as opposed to what’s often believed, “Abusive language wouldn’t help you get audience. Yeh aam zindagi mein toh roz ho hi raha hai.”

On all the admiration and acclaim coming his way, the Mission Raniganj (2023) and Laapataa Ladies actor says staying relevant through the 33 years he has been active for, hasn’t been a cakewalk. He has tried his hand across languages and mediums to find a footing.

He shares, “Meri survival ki fight thi kyonki mujhe zinda rehna tha. I wanted to stay in the battlefield and not quit as I knew my day to strike will come. I feel it has come, as people have noticed my performances.”

Not finding enough recognition in Hindi films earlier on, Kishan gravitated towards the nascent Bhojpuri film industry. “Mujhe laga wait karke koi faayda nahin hai and thankfully, my community made me a superstar,” he says. But there are still people who look down on the Bhojpuri films. 

Responding to it, Kishan says, “I have made a pan-India film, Mahadev Ka Gorakhpur, for this reason. It’s the first time a Bhojpuri film is releasing in the USA. This is for the people who look down on Bhojpuri cinema, so that it gets the respect it deserves.”