Ravi Kishan is an Indian actor and politician, who is a member of the parliament. He is known to have acted in several popular Hindi films such as Tere Naam (2003), Phir Hera Pheri (2006), and Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008). He made headlines in March 2023 after he revealed that he faced the casting couch during the early days of his career.
Wiki/Biography
Ravi Kishan Shukla was born on Thursday, 17 July 1969 (age 54 years; as of 2023) in Santacruz, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India. His zodiac sign is Cancer. According to some sources, Ravi Kishan passed his 12th standard at Rizvi College of Arts, Science & Commerce in Mumbai; however, according to other sources, he earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce at Rizvi College of Arts, Science & Commerce in Mumbai. When Ravi was ten years old, he along with his family shifted to Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, where he lived for seven years and helped his family in farming. While giving an interview, Ravi talked about it and said,
I stayed in Jaunpur for seven years and was simply not interested in studying. We just had some land on which we would do farming and were very poor. We lived in a mud house and could not even afford a sari for my mother on Diwali. I hated the thought of not being in Mumbai and felt I would either die or turn mad or become a goonda.”
At the age of seventeen, Ravi ran away from his home in Jaunpur and came back to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Weight (approx.): 65 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Ravi Kishan was born into an Awadhi-speaking Hindu Brahmin family in Uttar Pradesh.
Parents & Siblings
His father Shyam Narayan Shukla (deceased) was a priest and owned a dairy business. His mother, Jadavati Devi, is a homemaker.
A photo of Ravi Kishan with his father taken during a show
Ravi Kishan with his mother
He had two elder brothers and two elder sisters. His elder brother Ram Kishan Shukla passed away due to a heart attack in February 2023. His elder brother Ramesh Kishan Shukla passed away in March 2022.
A photo of Ram Kishan Shukla
A picture of Ramesh Kishan Shukla
Wife & Children
His wife, Priti Kishan Shukla (also spelt as Preeti Kishan Shukla), is a businesswoman. Ravi met Priti for the first time when he was studying in Class 11. He got married to her on 10 December 1993. In 2022, she campaigned for Yogi Adityanath in the UP Vidhan Sabha elections.
Ravi Kishan with his wife
He has three daughters and a son. His daughter Tanishqa Shukla is a business manager and an investor. His daughter Ishita Shukla is an Indian Army personnel who joined the defence forces under the Agnipath scheme in June 2023. His daughter Riva Shukla is an actress. His son’s name is Saksham Shukla.
Tanishqa Shukla (right) with her younger sister, Ishita Shukla
Riva Kishan with her father, Ravi Kishan
Riva Kishan with her brother, Saksham Kishan
Relationships/Affairs
While giving an interview, Ravi revealed that he had an extra-marital affair with the actress-turned-politician Nagma. He further claimed that his wife Preeti knew about their relationship. He broke up with Nagma in 2006. In March 2023, Ravi appeared on the show Aap ki Adalat and said that he was never in a relationship with Nagma. Talking about it on the show, he said,
When actors work with the same actress on multiple projects, people assume something is brewing. However, this was not the case. We used to do films together and our films used to be blockbusters. We were friends and had a cordial relationship. Moreover, everyone knew that I was married.”
A photo of Ravi Kishan with Nagma
Religion
Ravi Kishan follows Hinduism, and he is a devotee of Lord Shiva.
Address
He resides at Bungalow No. 122, Mhada, SVP Nagar, four Bungalows, Andheri, Mumbai-400053, Maharashtra.
Signature/Autograph
Signature of Ravi Kishan
Career
Actor
Hindi Films
Ravi Kishan made his acting debut with the 1992 film Pitambar, which was a B-grade film, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Raza Murad, and Kiran Kumar. Ravi received Rs. 5,000 as payment for acting in the film. Ravi talked about it in an interview and said,
I ran away from home to come to Mumbai. I then stayed in our old 10×12 sq ft place and met an old friend Hriday Shetty, who introduced me to a filmmaker. I got my first B-grade film Pitambar and made my first 5000. I bought a bike and started struggling.” 
In 1994, he appeared in several Hindi films including Zakhmi Dil, Aag Aur Chingari, and Udhaar Ki Zindagi. He gained recognition after he shared the screen with Salman Khan in the 2003 film Tere Naam in which he played the role of Rameshwar. While talking about his role in the film, Ravi said that he tried to replicate his father’s look since he was a priest as well.
Ravi Kishan in a still from Tere Naam
He appeared in the 2004 film Aan: Men at Work as Raghu Shetty. In 2006, he played the role of a gangster named Chhote in the film Phir Hera Pheri.
Ravi Kishan as Chhote in Phir Hera Pheri
In 2007, he appeared as Captain Jacob in the film 1971. In the 2008 comedy film Welcome to Sajjanpur, Ravi Kishan played the role of Ram Kumar. He landed the role of Raghav Raghuvaran in the 2009 film Luck. In 2011, he shared the screen with R. Madhavan and Kangana Ranaut in the film Tanu Weds Manu. He bagged the role of Rajan in the 2012 film Agent Vinod. In 2013, he appeared in several Hindi films including Bajatey Raho as Mohanlal Sabharwal, Issaq as Teeta Singh (Tybalt), and Mere Dad Ki Maruti as Pathan. He landed the role of Sanjay Kumar in the 2017 film Mukkabaaz. In 2019, he played the role of an inspector named Krishan Kumar “K.K.” Verma in Batla House.
A photo of Ravi Kishan with John Abraham on the sets of Batla House
In 2021, he was signed up for the films Boondi Raita and Dehati Disco. In 2022, he landed a role in the film Love You Loktantra.
Bhojpuri Films
In an interview, Ravi Kishan said that he received an offer to work in a Bhojpuri film while he was struggling to gain recognition in Bollywood. Talking about it, he said,
There was a time when I was not making money in Bollywood and I was then offered a Bhojpuri film. I called my mom. We speak Awadhi at home that is close to Bhojpuri. She said, ‘Do it for your village people.’ I did it and became a Bhojpuri superstar and that changed my life.”
In 2003, he landed a role in the film Saiyaan Hamar. In 2004, he appeared in Pandit Ji Batai Na Biyah Kab Hoi. He played the role of Shankar in the film Kab Hoi Milanwa Hamar, which was released in the same year. In 2006, Ravi Kishan landed a role in several Bhojpuri films including Ab Ta Banja Sajanwa Hamaar and Ganga. In 2007, he acted in Banke Biharee M.L.A. He bagged a role in the 2009 Bhojpuri film Balidaan.
Ravi Kishan in the poster of the film Balidaan
In 2011, he appeared in Hamaar Devdas, which was a remake of the Hindi film Devdas. In 2012, he acted in Kaisan Piyawa Ke Charitar Ba and Prem Vidrohi.
Ravi Kishan in a still from the film Kaisan Piyawa Ke Charitar Ba
In 2014, he landed a role in Lakhon Mein Ek Hamar Bhauji. He appeared as Raja in the 2016 film Hum Hai Jodi No.1, which was a remake of the Telugu film Brindavanam. In 2017, he played the role of Amarnath in Kaashi Amarnath.
Ravi Kishan in the poster of the Kaashi Amarnath
He landed the role of Selfie Singh in the 2022 film Mera Bharat Mahan.
Television
In 1997, he played the role of Shri Krishna in the Hindi TV series Jai Hanuman. In 2000, he appeared as Sudhanva in the Hindi TV serial Vishnu Puran. Later, he appeared as Raghuveer in the first and the second episode of a Sony SAB show titled Khauff. He participated in the first season of the reality TV show Bigg Boss in 2006 and was the second runner-up. While talking about the show in an interview, Ravi said that he had no intentions of becoming a part of the show; however, it was his wife who advised him to participate in it. He hosted the first and the second season of the Imagine TV show Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka. In 2011, he hosted a Bhojpuri TV show titled Ke Bani Crorepati.
A photo of Ravi Kishan with Hema Malini on the sets of Ke Bani Crorepati
He appeared as a contestant in the fifth season of the reality dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa in 2012. In 2014, he took part in the Box Cricket League (BCL) 1 and played for the Rowdy Bangalore team.
A picture of Ravi Kishan taken during the Box Cricket League
In 2020, he hosted a Hindi TV show Crime Stop.
Tamil Films
Ravi Kishan made his debut in Kollywood with the 1999 film Monisha En Monalisa in which he played the role of Ravi.
A poster of Monisha En Monalisa
In 2019, he appeared as Sanjay in the film Sangathamizhan.
Telugu Films
In 2014, Ravi Kishan made his Tollywood debut with the film Race Gurram in which he played the role of Maddali Shiva Reddy.
Ravi Kishan in Race Gurram
In the same year, he appeared as Siva Reddy in the film Aagadu. In 2015, he bagged the roles of Solomon Singh Thakur in Kick 2 and Jayaraj’s brother in Bruce Lee: The Fighter. He was given the role of an MLA named Sujatha in the 2017 film Radha. He acted in the 2018 film Saakshyam as Veeraswamy. In 2019, he landed the role of Ravikant Nagaich in the film NTR: Kathanayakudu. He appeared as Saleem Bhai in the 2021 film Hero.
Kannada Films
Ravi Kishan made his debut in Sandalwood with the 2017 film Hebbuli in which he played the role of Amrut Shah.
In 2020, he acted in Drona as Uday Krishna and Shivarjuna as Ramappa. He landed the role of an MLA named Tripathi in the 2021 film Roberrt.
Gujarati Films
In 2017, he played the role of Veersingh/ Raghuveer in the film Hameer. In 2022, he landed a role in the film Baap No Bagicho.
Web Series
Ravi Kishan appeared as Chandrabhan Singh in the 2018 ZEE5 web series Rangbaaz. In 2021, he appeared as a police officer in Matsya Kaand, which premiered on MX Player. In the same year, he landed the role of Jairaj Jatav in a SonyLIV series titled The Whistleblower. In 2022, he appeared as Abhyuday Singh in Khakee: The Bihar Chapter, which premiered on Netflix.
Production Company
On 26 September 2018, Ravi Kishan founded and assumed the directorship of Ravikishan Productions And Media Private Limited.
Politics
Ravi Kishan joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 2014 and contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh, securing 42,759 votes. He, however, lost the elections. Ravi left the INC in 2017 and became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A photo of Ravi Kishan with Amit Shah and Manoj Tiwari taken when he was joining the BJP
While giving an interview, he talked about the reasons for leaving Congress and said that after he lost the 2014 general elections, he felt dejected as no leader of Congress talked to him. He said,
It was a mistake. When I lost the election, no one in the party high command got in touch with me. I was dejected.”
In 2019, Ravi Kishan contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Gorakhpur constituency and secured 7,17,122 votes. In the elections, he defeated Rambhual Nishad, his nearest rival from Samajwadi Party, by a margin of 3,01,664 votes. Ravi said that he contested the elections on Yogi Adityanath’s seat in Gorakhpur after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi persuaded him to do so.
Ravi Kishan taking a selfie during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections campaigning
On 13 September 2019, he was appointed to the Standing Committee on External Affairs as its member; he held the membership till 12 September 2020. He became a member of the Standing Committee on Industry and Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on 13 September 2019. He became the Permanent Special Invitee, Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on 13 September 2019. Ravi Kishan has always voiced his opinion in favour of framing a population control bill. While giving an interview in 2022, Ravi Kishan targeted Congress and said that he would not have had four children if Congress had brought the Population Control Bill. Talking about it, he said,
It is true that I have four children. So I know the struggle of raising them. I tasted success after a lot of struggle. Initially, we were asked to choose either work or money. My wife was tall and slim and after the first and second delivery, I saw her health deteriorating. I was struggling so at that time and used to remain always busy with shooting. Bachhe paida hote gaye. Had no clarity at that time. But now that I have achieved success and wealth when I look at my wife, I feel sorry.”
Other Works
In 2007, Ravi Kishan lent his voice to dub the role of Tobey Maguire’s character in the Hollywood film Spider-Man 3 into Bhojpuri. He has appeared in various commercials for popular brands including Tata Salt, Dabur Lal Dant Manjan, UltraTech Cement, and Maggi.
Ravi Kishan in a still from the Tata Salt ad
Controversy
A disparity in the electoral affidavit
In 2019, before the Lok Sabha elections, a youth named Santosh Kumar from Kushinagar complained to the returning officer against Ravi Kishan regarding a discrepancy in Ravi’s affidavit. In his complaint, the youth said that according to Ravi Kishan’s 2014 general elections affidavit, he held a bachelor’s degree in commerce; however, according to his 2019 affidavit, he was 12th pass. He wrote,
If Ravi Kishan was a commerce graduate in 2014, how did his educational qualifications come down to intermediate in 2019.”
Later, Santosh Mani Tripathi, the general secretary of the Rashtriya Mazdoor Congress, said that Ravi had written his name unclearly, moreover, his signature on the affidavit was missing as well.
Awards & Honours
- Most Popular Actor Award at ETV Bhojpuri Cinema Samman in 2008.
- He won the TSR TV9 National Film Award in the Best Actor – Bhojpuri category in 2017.
Ravi Kishan’s TSR TV9 National Film Award
- In 2018, Ravi Kishan received the Best Actor Award at the Jharkhand International Film Festival for the film Kaashi Amarnath.
- In the same year, he was given the title of Personality of India.
Ravi Kishan receiving the Personality of India title
- In 2021, he received the Uttar Pradesh Gaurav Samman from the UP government.
A photo of Ravi Kishan taken while he was receiving the Uttar Pradesh Gaurav Samman
Bike Collection
- Harley Davidson
Ravi Kishan sitting on his Harley Davidson
- Royal Enfield Classic 350
Car Collection
Salary/Income
In 2022, Ravi Kishan’s salary as a member of the parliament was around Rs. 2 lacs + other allowances. In 2023, he charged around Rs. 50 lacs per film.
Assets & Properties
Movable Assets
- Bank Deposits: Rs. 82,81,931
- Bonds, Debentures, and Shares in companies: Rs. 19,79,999
- LIC or other insurance Policies: Rs. 6,76,751
- Loans and advances given: Rs. 47,71,000
- Motor Vehicles: Rs. 86,00,000
- Other Assets: Rs. 16,50,000
Immovable Assets
- Commercial Buildings: Rs. 5,88,88,000
- Residential Buildings: Rs. 6,95,49,000
Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2019. It excludes the assets owned by his wife and dependents (minor).
Net Worth
Ravi Kishan’s net worth for the year 2019 was estimated to be Rs. 13,83,63,738. It excludes the net worth of his wife and dependents (minors).
Favourites
- Film(s): Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Guide (1965)
Facts/Trivia
- Ravi Kishan is also known as Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla.
- His friends and family affectionately call him Babbu.
- In an interview, Ravi said that his father was against his decision of becoming an actor and wanted him to open a dairy. Talking about it, he said,
My father wanted me to do milk business and used to bash me up badly with a belt saying, Yeh tum nachaniya kya ban rahe ho?”
- In October 2015, after one of his daughters ran away from home, Ravi Kishan filed a missing complaint at the Bangurnagar police station in Mumbai.
- In March 2023, while giving an interview on India TV’s show Aap Ki Adalat, Ravi revealed that he was asked for sexual favours in return for a role in the film by a prominent filmmaker. He said,
Yeah, it happened and this is something that happens in the industry. But I somehow managed to escape. I can’t name her, because she has become a big shot now. She had said, ‘Coffee peene raat me aayie (Come over for a cup of coffee tonight)’. I thought that is something people prefer to have during the day. So I got the hint and refused.”
- While giving an interview at Aap Ki Adalat, Ravi said that when he was offered a role in Gangs Of Wasseypur, he asked the producer of the film to provide litres of milk for Ravi to bathe in and rose petals to sleep on. Talking about it, he said,
Main doodh se nahata tha aur gulaab ki pankhuriyon pe sota tha. Mujhe aisa lagta tha ke main actor hoon aur yeh sab bahut zaroori hai. Log jab aapko Al Pacino aur Robert De Niro ki filmein dikhane lagte hain, aur bolte hain ke yeh actors aisa karte they, tum bhi karo… Godfather 500 baar dikha diye, aur main desi breed ka kalakar. Khair, yeh sab naatak kiye they ki isse mahaul banta hai. Mujhe lagta tha ke main doodh se naha ke jaunga toh yeh charcha rahegi ki yeh doodh se nahata hai (It’s true, I used to bathe in milk and sleep on rose petals. I used to think of myself as a big star; I thought this was important. People would show me Al Pacino and Robert De Niro’s films, and tell me how they used to behave. I was shown The Godfather 500 times, but I’m a desi performer. So, yes, I used to make these demands. I thought if I bathe in milk, people would talk about it).”
- Ravi Kishan shares a close bond with the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath. In an interview, Ravi said that he converses with Yogi in his native language Bhojpuri.
Ravi Kishan with Yogi Adityanath
- When Ravi Kishan was in Jaunpur, he sold newspapers on the street to save some money to buy a saree for his mother on her birthday.
- Ravi Kishan passionately follows his hobbies of travelling, watching films, and reading about art, literature, and the spiritual personalities of India.
- Ravi once said that he touches his wife’s feet when she is asleep.
- Ravi Kishan has served as a member of the governing body of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Gorakhpur as well as a member of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
- While giving an interview, Ravi Kishan revealed that he slapped a fan in front of his mother after he cut his thumb to apply tilak on Ravi’s forehead.
- In an interview, producer Anurag Kashyap claimed that Ravi Kishan used to smoke weed. Anurag, while talking about it, said,
Ravi Kishan acted in my last film Mukkabaaz. Ravi Kishan starts his day by saying Jai Shiv Shankar, Jai Bam Bhole. Jai shiv Shambhu For the longest period of his time, he has been somebody who has used weed. It is life. Everybody knows it. The whole world knows. There’s not a single person who doesn’t know that Ravi Kishan does not smoke up. He might have quit now, that he has become a minister, he might have cleaned up.”
- Ravi is an avid dog lover. He has a pet Rottweiler and another dog named Winter.
Ravi Kishan with his pet dog Winter
A picture of Ravi Kishan with his pet Rottweiler
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education