Ravi Kishan on OTT content: Abusive language won't get you audience

Ravi Kishan talks about his Maamla Legal Hai's success, current OTT content, his 33 years journey in films and getting people to respect the Bhojpuri industry

Actor Ravi Kishan has been a part of the Hindi film industry for over three decades, but only recently, he got a chance to lead from the front. His latest web show Maamla Legal Hai had him as the leading man and the show emerged a surprise hit. Kishan is revelling in all the love he has been receiving for it. He 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.”

Ravi Kishan on his OTT journey and success

Prior to this, Kishan has been a part of web shows 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 the OTT platform for keeping the fire in him alive. The actor asserts, “I always had the fire inside me but now I got the platform to showcase myself, to show that performances can be natural too. Your entire body can perform without being loud. I learnt to live the characters here. The OTT platform gives 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 dhundna shuru kar diye hain.”

A lot of OTT content today delves in the gritty and dark space. Kishan agrees that there was a void in the light-hearted space which his show has filled. “Even the platforms would be thinking about how well this genre has worked. 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. The success of this show is a surprise to me too.” He also comments on the clutter of abusive and dark content on the OTT space. He says, “Abusive language wouldn’t help you get audience. Ye aam zindagi mein to roz ho hi raha hai.”

Kishan has worked in films like Tere Naam, Mere Dad Ki Maruti, Mission Raniganj and Laapataa Ladies in his career spanning 33 years. However, staying relevant through this while wasn’t a cake walk and he tried his hand across languages and mediums to find a footing. He shares, “Meri survival ki fight thi kyunki mujhe zinda rehna tha. I wanted to stay in the battlefield and not quit as I knew my day to strike will come. Now, I feel that time has come as people have noticed my performances.”

Not finding enough recognition in Hindi films, Kishan founded the Bhojpuri film industry. “Mujhe laga wait karke koi faayda nahi hai and thankfully, my community made me a superstar.” But there are still people who look down at the language. Responding to them, 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 US. This is for the people who look down at Bhojpuri cinema, so that it gets the respect it deserves.”