Did you know Ravi Kishan, the Bhojpuri star, is actually a Bandra boy?

Ravi Kishan, the popular Bhojpuri actor and politician, is originally from Bandra, Mumbai, a fact that surprises many of his fans. Despite his strong Bhojpuri screen persona, he is a Bombay boy at heart, blending his urban roots with his versatile career.

In Short

• Ravi Kishan was born in Mumbai as Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla
• He studied at Rizvi College in Bandra West during his youth
• Cyrus Broacha raised the detail during a podcast chat with Aakash Mehta

Ravi Kishan is known for his work in Bhojpuri cinema and his political career in Uttar Pradesh. Most recently, the Maamla Legal Hai star has been in the news for becoming an ‘accidental meme God’. But there is a lesser-known detail about the actor’s life that may surprise many fans: Ravi Kishan is a Bandra boy.

Born as Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla in Mumbai, Kishan has often spoken about his connection with Bandra. He also studied at Rizvi College in Bandra West.

The fact recently came up during a conversation between Cyrus Broacha and stand-up comedian Aakash Mehta on Broacha’s podcast Cyrus Says. Broacha, who himself hails from Bandra, pointed out that Kishan’s public image is very different from his actual roots.

“100% Ravi Kishan is from Bandra,” Broacha said during the conversation, before reflecting on the actor’s transformation from a Mumbai boy to one of the most recognisable faces of Bhojpuri cinema.

He went on to describe Kishan as someone who, beneath the various characters and personas he plays, is essentially “a Bombay boy”.

“From being a Bandra boy to being exactly a character,” Broacha said, referring to the way Kishan’s Bhojpuri work has shaped the image audiences have of him.

According to Broacha, Kishan’s Bhojpuri films created a strong persona around him, one that is now closely associated with Bihar and the Bhojpuri belt. However, he suggested that the actor’s personality is far more urban than the image audiences may associate with him.

“If you just take out the avatars that he plays and all, he is you and me. He will relate to very easily,” Broacha said.

He further added that if someone were to spend time with Kishan away from his on-screen personas, the actor would come across as a “Bombay boy”.

From Mumbai to Bhojpuri stardom

Kishan’s family has roots in Kerakat in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district, and he spent around seven years there. However, Mumbai remained an important part of his early life.

Before becoming one of the biggest stars of Bhojpuri cinema, Kishan began his acting career in Hindi films. He started working in the early 1990s and later made his Bhojpuri debut with Ganga Jamuna Saraswati in 1994.

His work in Bhojpuri cinema eventually made him a major star in the industry. At the same time, he continued to appear in Hindi films, including Tere Naam, Phir Hera Pheri, Luck, Raavan and Agent Vinod.

The contrast between his Mumbai upbringing and his Bhojpuri screen identity is something that has also come up in Kishan’s own conversations.

In 2025, while speaking to the media at IIFA, he said, “I am a Bandra boy, very few people know that. People think I am a hardcore Bihari, but I was born and brought up in Bandra.”

Ravi Kishan and Salman Khan’s Bandra connection

Kishan’s Mumbai roots also connect him to one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, Salman Khan. The actor has previously spoken about working with Salman in Tere Naam.

He recalled that the two shared a Bandra connection and that he had known Salman’s brother Sohail Khan since childhood.

At the time of Tere Naam, Kishan was still establishing himself, while Salman was already a major Bollywood star.

The Bandra identity behind the Bhojpuri star

Kishan’s journey is interesting because the identity that made him a household name is quite different from where he grew up.

His Bhojpuri films established a strong screen persona, while his Hindi work and later television and OTT appearances showed another side of his acting range.

Broacha also touched upon Kishan’s current popularity, joking about the actor’s recent viral videos and the way audiences have turned some of his expressions into memes.

Kishan has, meanwhile, built a career spanning Bhojpuri, Hindi and other Indian-language projects. He has also ventured into television, OTT and politics, and has served as the Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur since 2019. His performance in Laapataa Ladies brought him renewed attention among Hindi-speaking audiences, while his role in Maamla Legal Hai further introduced his comic side to a wider OTT audience.

But behind the Bhojpuri superstar, politician and now meme favourite is someone who, as Kishan himself has pointed out, grew up in Mumbai.

Ravi Kishan may be one of Bhojpuri cinema’s biggest stars, but at heart, he is still a Bandra boy.

- Ends