Actor-politician Ravi Kishan is done with how Bhojpuri is perceived among the masses. He recently introduced a private member bill in the Lok Sabha to include Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Talking to us, he says the identity of the language isn’t limited to the songs we have heard all these years: “My mother tongue (Bhojpuri) is spoken or understood by 25 crore people in India. It’s the second most-spoken language in Mauritius. People have this notion that only songs like Kamariya and Lollypop Lagelu is Bhojpuri. It has its own literature.”

The 55-year-old, who is a superstar in the Bhojpuri film industry, adds, “Because of a few money-minded people making those (crass) kinds of films or songs, we can’t say that’s what Bhojpuri is all about. Woh nahin hai jo dikhai de raha hai. Humari bhaasha mein ek mithaas hai, and my intention as a Lok Sabha member was to bring that forward. I am known because of Bhojpuri cinema. I am now working in many languages, but people still remember, ‘Achcha, Ravi Kishan, Bhojpuri wala!’ Films like Laapataa Ladies, Maamla Legal Hai, etc., have all happened now, par shuruaat toh Bhojpuri se hui thi.”

Kishan got a positive response from his fraternity, including the film industry, ever since the news broke. “Everybody has been congratulating me. People now know I went to the Parliament for the right reasons. I am a man with a mission,” he says.