Ravi Kishan on becoming a viral meme icon: ‘I’m Al Pacino, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Michael Jackson’

Ravi Kishan’s latest phase of internet fame has taken an unexpected route: clips of the actor-politician are no longer confined to Indian meme pages, with his expressions, speeches, dance moves and verbal slips becoming templates for creators and even finding their way into posts by major European football clubs. Juventus and Borussia Dortmund have both joined the wider trend, underscoring how far the meme phenomenon around the BJP MP has travelled.

Ravi Kishan on becoming a meme

The recent wave has been fuelled by a string of moments involving Kishan. His “home from work” slip while discussing the work-from-home campaign became a widely shared meme, while his earlier “jaldi the late” phrase has continued to be referenced online. More recently, a remark about money and reputation — popularly turned into the meme phrase “money follows my brother” — generated another round of edits and jokes.

A video of Kishan participating in a yoga session also became meme material after social media users coined the term “Gutkhasan”, while a more recent clip involving his comments on NEET being referred to as a “newspaper” sparked another wave of memes and edited videos.

Rather than distancing himself from the attention, Kishan has embraced it. Speaking to News18 about his sudden status as an internet meme icon, the actor said, “I enjoy this because this is me!”

Kishan added, “I’m from Al Pacino to Amitabh Bachchan to Balraj Sahni to Shah Rukh Khan to Michael Jackson to Elvis Presley… Itni saare log mere sharir mein naachte, gaate rehte hain. Toh main itni fusions deta rehta hoon ki yeh desh aisa deewana hee rehga. I’m the same guy jisne 20 saal pehle bola tha, ‘Zindagi jhandwa, phir bhi ghamandwa.’ (So many people keep dancing and singing inside my body. That’s why I keep creating such fusions that this country will always remain crazy. I’m the same guy who said 20 years ago, ‘Life is a wreck, yet there is pride’).”

The actor-politician, who represents Gorakhpur in the Lok Sabha as a BJP MP, said the moments that have made him a meme figure are not deliberately manufactured for social media.

“I’m not trying anything. I’m not reading anything. I’m not doing extra theatrical or anything, or planning ki iss tarah bolunga (planning that I will say something like this). It’s just the moment I come, and something happens to my body, and words nikalte hai (words pour out). Aur kuchh bhi hota hai, whether Parliament mein bhaag raha hoon ya kuchh bhi hai (And whatever else I’m doing, whether I’m running in the Parliament or anything else), it goes viral.”

His explanation echoes comments he has made previously about the phenomenon. In response to his “home from work” meme, Kishan said he had no idea why seemingly ordinary remarks kept becoming viral moments. He has also described the scale of the memes as something he simply cannot control.

The latest trend has gone beyond conventional Bollywood meme culture. European football clubs have incorporated Kishan’s viral imagery into social media content, giving the phenomenon a distinctly international dimension. Kishan himself reacted positively when Juventus joined the trend.

For Kishan, however, the attention appears to be less about the mechanics of going viral and more about his belief that audiences are responding to his unfiltered personality.

He added, “Bolte hai na… jab samay aata hai, aapki har andaaz logon ko achi lagne lagti hai (As they say… when your time comes, people start loving every little thing you do). So, it’s just the time, blessing shower of God, humare purwajo ka, everyone from the family, people praying. I believe in that.”

The actor has spent decades working across Bhojpuri cinema, Bollywood and television while also maintaining a political career. His current online popularity has given a new generation of social media users a different entry point into his work and public persona.

Kishan was most recently seen in Indra Kumar’s Dhamaal 4, which stars Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi and Riteish Deshmukh in the lead roles. His meme-driven popularity, meanwhile, continues to expand across social media platforms and beyond India.