Actor and politician Ravi Kishan recently participated in Prime Video’s reality show Alliance alongside his daughter, Rivva Kishan. Although his journey was cut short after he took a voluntary exit owing to his work commitments as a parliamentarian and actor, the six-day stint gave viewers a glimpse of their heartwarming father-daughter bond.
In an exclusive conversation with Hindustan Times, Ravi opened up about agreeing to do the show only because of Rivva, why Alliance is unlike any other reality show, comparisons with Bigg Boss, nepotism criticism, and why the experience brought him even closer to his daughter.
‘I did Alliance only because of Rivva’
Ravi revealed that the sole reason for doing Alliance was his daughter Rivva and said, “She said, ‘ Papa, let’s do this show. Mujhe toh aisa chakkar aagya. I said Rivva, I am a parliamentarian aur sab career aisa 34 years ke baad is doing so well, kahin mujhse koi galti hogayi, mere muh se kuch nikal gaya, main toh apne aap se hi darta rehta hoon. I said, ‘Don’t do it, don’t take this call.’ But somewhere down the line, I understood, she wanted to spend time with me. Being a parliamentarian, I live in Gorakhpur and come to Mumbai if there’s a shoot or go home on birthdays or anniversaries. I could understand that a daughter is very connected to their fathers, so that daughter was asking me to go.”
He added, “She said mere liye accha hoga. She has done theatre and a movie with Akshaye Khanna, but it didn’t do well. So she might be wishing to get out of that big umbrella of Ravi Kishan. So she wanted me to come. We went to Alliance, but we didn’t know that they would give us a heart attack, that the father-daughter Alliance would not be together. From there, the game begins. This call was only for Rivva.
Maine sab kuch stake pe laga diya tha taaki voh bacchi humko yeh naa kahe ki papa mere pass mauka tha par aapne saath nahi diya. Ek popularity definitely milti hai, Rivva Kishan ko ab sab janane lage hain. Ek popular face hogya hai thanks to the alliance. But thank God, bhagwan ne laaj rakhi ki main untouched, bina kisi galti ke, bina ko memes bane aagya (I put everything at stake because I never wanted my daughter to one day say, ‘Dad, you had the opportunity, but you didn’t stand by me.’ Of course, the show has given Rivva a lot of visibility. People now know who Rivva Kishan is, and she has become a recognised face, thanks to Alliance. But thank God, He protected my honour. I came out of the show without making any major mistakes, without attracting negative attention, and without becoming the subject of memes).”
‘Alliance is not like other reality shows’
Ravi talked about the lovely memories he made with his daughter during his stint in the show and recalling that time the actor and politician said, “No mobile, khaali aap apni beti ko dekh rahe ho. Voh bhi aapne kaanch ke kamre se mujhe samne dekh rahi hai. I can understand she got emotional and said, ‘meri strength hain voh aur voh chale gaye.’ Vahan mere aankh pe aansun aagye. I am very curious to see her now. I want to see what I taught her in my 6 days journey and in life as well, will she be able to instil in the show.”
Ravi Kishan said every contestant on Alliance is strong in their own way. He described Mini Mathur and Nikhil Chinapa as “strong-headed”, praised Arslan Goni for fully committing to the show by even putting his belongings in storage before entering, and said Kushal Tandon would be a tough competitor because of his reality show experience. He also highlighted Payal’s stature and Dilbar Arya’s inspiring journey of growing up in a refugee camp in Germany. Predicting the finalists, Ravi said he sees Dilbar Arya, Mini Mathur and his daughter Rivva Kishan reaching the finale, while adding that Payal also has a strong chance. “I think women power is very strong in the house,” he said.
Revealing how Alliance is different from other shows, Ravi Kishan said, “Kyunki yeh bahut difficult show yeh. Yeh dusre shows ki tarah nahi jahan aap gaali galoch, backbiting, below the belt, character assassination karke, you can survive (Because this is a very difficult show. It’s not like other reality shows where you can survive by abusing people, backbiting, going below the belt, or assassinating someone’s character). There is no public vote. Every 5-10 mins, you have to bear a dagger from your own Alliance. It’s a mental game. It’s a Dutch show, and it’s been going on for 2 years there. Two girls are continuing it there. This show has come here for the first time. Life is a game itself. These people are playing with each other; every evening you have to plan. It’s a game of points, everyone wants to win, ₹50 lakh is kept in the safe, it’s just six week and speed is too much. It’s going to be crazy.”
‘My inner child came out again’
When asked if Alliance reminded him of his Bigg Boss days, Ravi Kishan said, “That child in me came out again. At this stage of my life, I had accumulated so many memories. I had work, my office runs 24/7 because I’m a parliamentarian, and my film diary is completely packed. So, there was so much happening in my life all at once. When God gives, after making you wait for so many years, He truly blesses those who have faith and patiently wait for their time.”
He added, “So, for me, it was about deleting all that information from my mind and seeing only Rivva in the game, along with all these strangers. Some of them knew me, but I didn’t know them, so getting to know them was fun. There was no cooking, no washing clothes—we just had to play mind games. At the same time, you had to keep an eye on everyone’s daggers and figure out whose knife was bigger or smaller, and who would betray you first. Even the arena is a mental game. It’s a fantastic show, and I think it’s going to become very addictive. People are really enjoying it”
‘Alliance brought us even closer’
Ravi revealed how Alliance helped him bond more deeply with his daughter said, “All the families across India were loving because har beti apne pita ke saath, unke andar ka voh roop dekha nahi hai. Rivva ne mujhe hamesha struggle karte hue dekha hai (Most daughters have never seen that side of their fathers. Rivva has always seen me struggling and working hard), she has seen my hardships. She knows all my painful stories, all the rejections and humiliation that papa has gone through. For a daughter, there can be nothing more beautiful than seeing her father dancing like a child. Every daughter wants to see her parents happy. For Rivva, that was a million-dollar moment. That’s why she trapped me into doing the show.”
He added, “We are both very real people, and we’re deeply attached to each other. I think that bond touched everyone. I don’t think there’s ever been a reality show where a father and daughter have participated together like this. So, I sincerely thank Alliance. I had thought that Rivva and I would play the game together, but Alliance separated us in the game and, at the same time, brought us even closer. A lot of beautiful memories. Main Rivva ko aur intense jaana andar jaake. And Rivva realised papa ka voh baccha gaya nahi hai, bhale hi papa bahut hi stressed profession main hain. Bahut kamaal tha (I got to know Rivva on a much deeper level after going inside the show. And Rivva realised that the child within her father is still very much alive, even though he’s in such a stressful profession. It was a wonderful experience).”
‘I had asked her not to do the show’
Ravi revealed that he had asked Rivva not to do the show and said, “Maine mana kiya, main unse bol raha tha ki take your call, you don’t need to, I can produce a film for you if you want to come in cinema, aap aisa naa karen, yeh call naa len. Par uska call sahi tha. Ishwar ne abhi tak laaj rakhi aur kuch aisa hua nahi ki voh mere liye back fire hogya. Voh bhi sambhal ke chal rahi hai ((I tried to stop her. I kept telling her, ‘Take your own call. You don’t have to do this. If you want to enter films, I can produce a film for you. Please don’t do this, don’t take this opportunity.’ But it turned out to be the right decision for her. So far, God has protected our honour, and nothing has happened that has backfired on me because of her decision. She’s also being careful about how she conducts herself).”
He added, “I wish desh ki janta usko ashirwaad de, pyaar de, bacha hai apna aur pehli baar shell se bahar aayi hai aapne. Voh defensive rehti hai. Ab har aadmi Ravi Kishan bann jaaye aisa possible nahi. Ek ghar main sab alag hone chahiye otherwise it’s so boring. Sabka apna stand, education rahe (I hope the people of this country bless her and give her love. She’s our child, and this is the first time she’s stepped out of her shell. She’s naturally very defensive. Now, it’s not possible for everyone to become Ravi Kishan. Every person in a family should be different; otherwise, life would be so boring. Everyone should have their own personality, their own opinions, and their own education).”