Actor-turned-BJP MP Ravi Kishan’s statement about the “drug problem” in Bollywood has triggered a war of words between him and Jaya Bachchan. On Tuesday in the Rajya Sabha, Jaya Bachchan, actress-turned-SP MP, criticised Ravi Kishan without naming him and said that Bollywood has become a soft target and that there are people who “bite the very hand that feeds them” (jis thali mein khate hain, usi mein ched karte hain). Ravi Kishan spoke to The Daily Guardian and said that he is a self-made man and is saddened by Jaya Bachchan’s comment.
Excerpts:
Q: Jaya Bachchan has hit back on your comment stating that Bollywood has been run over by drugs. How would you respond?
A: Jaya ji is my senior. I was expecting her support in this matter but instead of doing that she has accused me of things. I was talking about saving our industry; I was talking about protecting the upcoming generation of our industry. I would expect her guidance on how to tackle this matter. If there is smoke, there must be a fire somewhere, and we have to take care of this matter. The government and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) should ensure that the drug gangs are caught so that this dirt is re- moved from the industry. No one else should be turned into an addict. Ecstasy, cocaine and other drugs have become like the China-sent bio-weapon known as the coronavirus for the film industry. There are so many kinds of drugs, the ones that come from Pakistan, through Nepal and even from Afghanistan. I raised my voice to protect the youth in our country, in the film industry, and to protect our entire film industry from this menace.
Q: Has the drug menace affected the entire film industry? Has the rot really set in that deep?
A: No, not the entire film industry. There are some people involved in this definitely, but who all they are is for the police and NCB to find. My job is to raise the issue and bring the concerns in front of Parliament. That I will definitely do. Who are involved, I cannot say, but it is important for us to protect our film industry and the youth of our industry. We are the largest film producers in the world, an industry worth thousands of crores, and this drug menace is a conspiracy to break it. We have to investigate who made all of us sit at home, who is trying to end us, and I’ve raised my voice against this conspiracy. I was expecting Jaya ji’s support but she didn’t give it to me and I’m truly saddened by it.
Q: She said you are one who “jis thali mein kha rahe ho, usi thali mein ched kar rahe ho”.
A: (Laughs) Jaya ji isn’t giving me any meals. I am making and eating my own meals. I would like to tell her that there are over one lakh people who get the food on their plates from the Bhojpuri industry. I have no godfather in this industry; no one gave me my break. I work for 7-8 film fraternities in the country. I am as popular in Telugu as I am in the North. I am Ravi Kishan, who has turned the plate that he’s eaten from into gold.
Q: You’ve said that she’s targeted you for raising your voice.
A: I am very saddened by her comment. I always touch her feet in the Parliament Central Hall; I always greet her, and will continue to do so. Maybe she didn’t hear my pleas in Parliament; she didn’t hear what I had to say. My plea was that this film industry, the largest in the world, has to be saved. The youth, the next generation of this industry and those who have to take it forward have to be saved. I am sure my government will save them, the NCB is doing a great job and conspiracies from both China and Pakistan have to be stopped. We have to break the back of this huge cartel and nexus.