I feel negative roles give you the opportunity to showcase your real talent: Ravi Pandey

18/09/2021

Actor Ravi Pandey, best known for his work in roles in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi has bagged a prominent role in Anish Sharon Khan’s Kaand - The Dirty Scam, which will be extensively shot in Lucknow. The Ra One actor, who hails from Sultanpur, and was brought up in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, shares his Bollywood journey, his Lucknow connection, upcoming films, and much more. Ravi has done quite a number of films like Sallu Ki Shaadi, Admissions Open, Baabarr, RaOne. Talking about his Bollywood journey, he shares, “I left my MBA studies in 2002 and joined the theatre to learn the nuances of acting with Rajesh Dua ji and Arun Mathur ji and played lead characters in many plays. Then, I came to Mumbai in October 2004. With no godfather, I started like any other struggler and soon got the opportunity to work in serials for Doordarshan, and after that, I did a few small TV roles.” He adds, “In 2010, I did two Hindi films, in which I got an opportunity to work with great actors like Anupam Kher and Ashish Vidyarthi in Admissions Open, and with KK Menon, Rajpal Yadav in Benny and Bablu but unfortunately both the films didn't work at the Box Office.” But it was his role in Kangana Ranaut starrer Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi that turned the spotlight on him. “I started getting recognition from the character Bakshish Ali that I played in Manikarnika,” he says.
Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, quiz him how being a UPite helped in Bollywood and he replies, “Uttar Pradesh is a unique state, which is full of many languages and cultures. Because of which I am well acquainted with every language spoken in Uttar Pradesh, whether it is Brij bhasha, Bundelkhandi, Awadhi or Bhojpuri and yes, I feel very proud to be UPite but I also love my karmbhoomi Mumbai.” Having a deep connection with Lucknow, Ravi is excited to shoot in the city. “Lucknow is a very beautiful city. My family moved to Lucknow in 2007 from Etawah, and now my wife Monika Pandey has shifted to Lucknow as she has joined to Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) as a dietician and so I frequently visit the city. Now, I am excited that my next movie Kaand - The Dirty Scam is going on the floor soon in which I am doing a very prominent role and will be shooting in Lucknow only.”
The Benny and Babloo actor, who has also done a lot of work on OTT and got recognition too believes that such platforms provide a lot of opportunities to actors like him.
“OTT has indeed increased the work, there is no doubt about it. Many talented actors have got a chance to show their talent because of it, even I got proper recognition due to the same,” he says.
Talking about what kind of roles he would like to do in the future, Ravi reveals, “I would like to play more negative roles because I feel that an actor has a lot to showcase his acting ability by portraying a grey shade character. I am a big fan of Irrfan Khan bhai, I wish someday I would get a chance to play characters as he portrayed.”

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