Ravi Kishan, now a celebrated actor and politician, endured a difficult 33-year journey to success. Before that, he faced a traumatic childhood marked by daily abuse from his father. Recalling a turning point, he shared how his mother once handed him Rs 500 and urged him to run away, saying, “He will kill you.”
Ravi Kishan opens up about his traumatic childhood and relationship with father: “He mostly beat me fearing I might do something wrong”
In a recent podcast with Raj Shamani, Ravi Kishan spoke candidly about his difficult childhood. “I was trying to prove to my father that I was worth loving,” he shared. Reflecting on their relationship, he added, “He would often think I was nalayak (useless), and I wanted to prove that I wasn’t. He was a priest. Intelligent. He was a proud Brahmin.”
Ravi Kishan recalled a painful memory from his childhood, sharing how a question he once asked his father triggered a harsh response. “I once asked him, why do you pray so much? At the end of the day, you are still wearing a torn piece of cloth and have a broken cycle.” His father became furious and hit him hard. Ravi revealed that such incidents were a daily occurrence. “He would beat me up every day.” Reflecting on it, he added, “Because my dad never spoke to me or pampered me, I would feel him hitting me is the closest to loving me and communicating.”
Ravi Kishan shared that his father was extremely possessive about his public image and strongly opposed his interest in acting. “I used to take part in plays in the village. I played the role of Goddess Sita and often wore my mother’s saree. This gave him a fit (of anger). He went crazy. He told me, ‘Have you gone crazy, do you want to become a nachaniya (a degrading word for artistes).’ He wanted me to do farming and sell milk.”
Ravi Kishan recalled a moment when his father’s aggression forced him to leave home. “One day my dad hit me so hard that I had to run away. That day, my mom gave me Rs 500 and said, ‘Please go, otherwise he will kill you today.’” After leaving, he pursued a career in Bollywood but faced constant setbacks—securing only minor roles, with producers refusing to pay him and threatening to reduce his screen time if he asked for remuneration. He was often forced to choose between work and money. After a decade of struggle in the Hindi film industry, Ravi transitioned to Bhojpuri cinema, which brought him regional fame in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It was only then that his father began to acknowledge and respect him.
“My dad started to respect me after I started to earn a lot of money… when I started giving him air tickets to visit me. After I gave him best of clothes, a good car, and a bungalow. One day he started crying and said, ‘Please forgive me. I always misunderstood you.’ I fell on his feet and said, ‘Please, don’t do this.’ I saw God in him,” the actor stated.
Even as their relationship began to improve, Ravi Kishan admitted he continued to feel underconfident around his father. “I just longed for his love. All I wanted was him to hug me once and not think that I am useless. It was only when he grew old, I could be clingy with him. My fear reduced because he was weak. It was a high when I put my arms across his shoulder. With age, he became my child and I became his father.”
During this phase, Ravi finally gathered the courage to ask his father, “Why did you hit me so much?” To which his father replied, “I thought you would do something wrong.” The actor explained, “He mostly beat me fearing I might do something wrong. He would randomly smell my mouth and assume I have had alcohol. But it never was the case. This culture didn’t exist then. But he would always assume, ‘What if you did’. Mujhe maar padti thi ki ‘nalayak hojate toh?’ He would always beat me in advance thinking I might end up doing something wrong.”
As Ravi Kishan rose to fame, his father began to long for his presence. “He would often cry and remember me and ask my mother to make him talk to me.”
Reflecting on his father’s passing, he said, “I was with him during his last days. When I realised he doesn’t have too much time left, I flew him to Banaras in private jet. He died there. I never cried. I still cannot feel it. It will take me days to get over it and I don’t know when those feelings will come out. I miss him in every breath.”
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