Ravi Kishan confident of converting fans into voters

Making his electoral debut from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh as a Congress candidate, Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan says he hopes to convert his fans into voters.

"I am confident that my fans will turn into my voters now. I am not an outsider and one amongst them. My parents still live in Jaunpur and I know the local problems of my constituency, I am not a mere crowd-puller," the 42-year-old actor told PTI.

Despite his new innings in politics, Ravi Kishan plans to continue his acting career parallel to his work as a politician.

"I will never stop acting. The day I will do that, I will die. I am doing Telugu and Marathi movies apart from Bhojpuri and Hindi. I think I can strike a balance in politics and acting," said the actor, best known for his Bhojpuri films like 'Pandit Ji Batai Na Biyah Kab Hoi', 'Raavan, 'Ganga' and 'Banke Bihari MLA'.

The actor believes his strength lies in his contribution to local cinema.

"I have done 200 Bhojpuri and 50 Bollywood movies and have contributed in the development of Bhojpuri cinema. My cinema will become my strength however I will refrain from 'filmi dialogubaazi' during my campaigning and rather focus on local issues."

Ravi Kishan said Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi inspired him to enter into politics.

"I chose Congress party as I have been campaigning for them for the last decade. I am a Gandhian and a big fan of late Rajiv Gandhi. Priyanka and Rahul are young and can connect with the youth today," said the actor.

He wants to develop Jaunpur as a shooting hub for Bhojpuri cinema by building basic infrastructure.

"I always tell my filmmaker friends in Mumbai to go and shoot in Jaunpur but they avoid due to lack of basic infrastructure. There is no development here which hurts me. I want to make Jaunpur a shooting hub of Bhojpuri cinema. My priorities include toilets in each household, a stadium and a theatre centre," Ravi Kishan said.

Image: Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan