Ravi Kishan.
Credit: PTI photo
Behind the scenes going-ons and stories of 'casting couch reality' that come from the film fraternity send shivers down a common man's spine. Recently, renowned actor and BJP MP Ravi Kishan came forward and talked about his journey and the hurdles he faced along the way.
In a interview with Shubhankar Mishra on YouTube, Kishan revealed being targeted by sexual predators in the film industry.
“When you’re young and good-looking, when you’re fit but have no money, some people attempt to take advantage of you. This happens in several fields, not just in the films. They try their hand, and hope it works out." he said.
Hailing from a village in Bihar, Kishan came to Mumbai as teenager and hoped to make a name for himself in the industry.
According to a report by News18, Ravi said his 'appearance' made him a target for unwanted attention.
However, despite facing such adversities, her urges young aspiring actors not to succumb to such advances and always stand his ground.
"I have faced many such attacks in my youth… I would like to tell everyone out there that there are no shortcuts to success. I know of many people who’ve tried to take such shortcuts, and have regretted it immensely. They’ve slipped into addictions, or they’ve taken their lives," he said.
He also talked about the importance of patience saying "sun will rise for him one day".
“I haven’t seen anybody become a star through the shortcut method. Wait for your time to come; have patience. I would tell myself that one day the sun will rise for me. All my friends in the ’90s, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn, they became superstars. But I waited for my time," he said.
Kishan was recently seen in Kiran Rao's critically acclaimed Laapataa Ladies, which was India’s official entry to the Oscars. His acting was praised by many.
Kishan also stars in Netflix's courtroom-comedy Maamla Legal Hai, which has been renewed for a second season.