There is no dearth of work if you have talent, says Ravish Srivastava

Before taking a full-fledged plunge into acting and direction, actor-filmmaker Dr Ravish Srivastava donned many hats in the past.

“I’m a qualified medical professional (naturopathic), but I never went ahead with the practice. I worked at IGNOU for 28 years before taking voluntarily retirement. Then, I even ran a café, which went into loss due to pandemic. Now, I’m concentrating full time on acting, which I had pursued during my college days, as well as direction with the project Antim Adalat, which I wrote during the lockdown,” says Srivastava, who has acted in 23 films and 11 web series so far.

He feels this is particularly a great time for artistes to shine, and is hopeful that talent from all over the country, including his hometown, Uttar Pradesh, will come to the fore. “There is no dearth for work if you have talent. After the pandemic-infused halt, it’s the best phase for artistes from Uttar Pradesh to shine,” he adds.

Seen in the web series Bhaukaal and all three seasons of Aashram, Srivastava recalls his acting journey. “I was doing films since Mudda Hai Bhookh, but since work increased, I took retirement in 2019,” says the 57-year-old, adding how he eventually took up writing: “But then came the lockdown, so I took up writing and wrote three scripts. The film that I have completed as a debutant director is a non-fiction story on what happened to the juvenile convict of 2012 Delhi rape case.”

Narrating his journey with the film, the writer says, “I have shot it in a shoestring budget with my savings, and have collaborated with actors who have faith in the script.”

And even though he is enjoying this phase of writing and direction, acting will continue to be on the cards for the artiste. “I have shot for three interesting web series Sabse Bada Rupaiyya, Parallax and Moon Walk. As Baba’s (Bobby Doel) pradhan sevadar, Ashram 4 will have me in a bigger role. I have also acted in the upcoming films Santaap, Leepa Poti, Sarkar Ki Seva Mei and my own, Antim Adalat, among others,” wraps up Srivastava, who was also seen in the Hollywood film No Man’s Land (2020).