- Master Ravi earned up to Rs 3,500 a day as a child actor.
- He was known as ‘Junior Amitabh Bachchan’ and appeared in 300+ films.
- He later became a chef and now heads administration at a prominent compan
Master Ravi, the child actor who was once widely known as the “Junior Amitabh Bachchan”, had already built a successful film career before he was old enough to understand what a regular childhood looked like. He started working at the age of four, appeared in more than 300 films across nine languages and was reportedly earning up to Rs 3,500 a day during the peak of his career.
But films were only the beginning for Ravi Valecha. As per a report by The Times of India, after spending 14 years in the film industry, Ravi moved away from acting and trained as a professional chef. He later worked with the Taj and explored different parts of the hospitality industry. Today, he heads the administration department of a prominent company. He is also working towards setting up a film institute for people who want to learn acting without having to spend a large amount of money.
From A Chair On The Sets Of Fakira To Films
Ravi's entry into cinema was not the result of a planned audition. It happened after a chance interaction with Shashi Kapoor on the sets of Fakira.
His brother was working on the film and four-year-old Ravi had accompanied him to the set. He ended up sitting on Shashi Kapoor's chair. What followed eventually changed the course of his life.
"My brother was working on the film Fakira when I accompanied him on the set. On set, every actor and director had dedicated chairs for them.
I was four and outspoken. I was sitting on this chair when this man, after his shot, walked up to me. He told me, 'You are sitting on my chair.' I said, 'But I am sitting and I am not going to get up.'
"He then asked, 'Can we do some compromise here?' I was like, 'Okay, we can do that. How about you sit on the chair and I sit on your lap?' This man was nobody else but Shashi Kapoor. He liked my confidence. He then told the director to cast me in this film," Ravi told Explore 1.
He went on to play Shabana Azmi's four-year-old son in Fakira. That accidental beginning soon turned into a 14-year career.
Rs 3,500 A Day And The ‘Junior Amitabh' Tag
Ravi became one of the most sought-after child actors of his time. He worked across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu cinema and became especially popular for playing younger versions of Amitabh Bachchan.
The association with the superstar was so strong that he came to be known as “Junior Amitabh Bachchan”.
At the height of his career in the 1980s, Ravi was reportedly paid around Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500 per day. Adjusted for inflation, that would be around Rs 75,000 to Rs 90,000 today.
His popularity, however, was not the only reason filmmakers wanted him. Ravi says he was also known for getting his scenes right without repeated takes.
"I was the one and only child star. Like how they say Rajesh Khanna was the first superstar, similarly, Master Ravi was the first child star. I used to do at least four shifts in a day. Things were very expensive back then. They had rolls back then, so they had to be very precise. I had a record that I never used to give a retake. Maybe this was one of the reasons why directors, actors and producers favoured me. All they had to do was just explain the scene to me once."
His early work also included Cheetah Mera Yaar, a K Parvez directorial starring Vinod Khanna, Amjad Khan and Neetu Singh. The film was never released, but Ravi still remembers one unusual scene from its making.
"Filmmaker K Parvez was directing a film starring Vinod Khanna, Amjad Khan and Neetu Singh. I too was part of the film, where I played the role of a prince. The kid gets kidnapped and then escapes and goes to the jungle. Unfortunately, the film didn't release. There was a scene in the film where a lioness was feeding her cubs. The kid crawls in and also gets fed. This was a true scene, with a real lioness and her cubs. I have had a lioness milk for real," he told The Hillary Times.
Why He Left Acting
Despite the success, Ravi says his childhood came at a cost.
"I lost too many things. In life, you cannot achieve anything without sacrificing something. I earned name, fame and wealth. But I lost my childhood as I was working from age 4 to age 18," Ravi told Explore 1.
He also felt that growing up on film sets changed the way he saw the world.
"I used to think like a 24-year-old at 8. I lost my childhood and teenage."
His decision to step away from films was also linked to a possible future as a leading actor. Ravi said Manmohan Desai had planned to launch him after Giraftaar (1985), but the filmmaker's death changed those plans.
"It was a planned break. I had worked in several of Manmohan Desai films, the last being Giraftaar (1985). He loved me a lot. So after this film, he asked me to go out of the limelight, work on my personality and said that he would launch me as the lead star. Unfortunately, he died during this time and I was never launched after that."
From Films To Food And Corporate Life
Instead of returning to acting, Ravi chose a new field. Since his childhood in films had left little room for formal education, he later enrolled at IIH Mumbai to study culinary arts.
He trained as a professional chef and worked with the Taj for a couple of years. His experience later expanded into other areas of hospitality, including room service and other operations.
Today, he works in administration at a prominent company. At the same time, he is trying to turn another idea into reality — an affordable film institute where aspiring actors can get proper training.
And there is still one more career he wants to explore.
"I always wanted to become a pilot. But during those times, you had to study science and the courses were extremely expensive, and we had our limitations. Now, I have applied to the Bombay Flying Club to learn hobby flying. There is no age limit to anything," he told Diksha Deo.