- Ravi Dubey debuted on television in 2005 with Stree... Teri Kahaani produced by Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu
- He was cast as Lakshman in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, marking his Hindi film debut in 2024
- Ravi and his wife Sargun Mehta founded Dreamiyata Entertainment in 2016, producing TV and Punjabi films
Ravi Dubey made his television debut with the DD National television show Stree... Teri Kahaani, which was produced by actors Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu in 2005. He gave his first look test at the legendary couple's Bandra home.
That was the beginning. 21 years have passed since he started acting.
From fiction to non-fiction, from hosting to producing, Ravi Dubey had work coming his way. But he didn't manifest that his Hindi film debut was destined to be Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, one of the biggest Hindi films of the decade, in which he would be playing Lakshman, brother to Ranbir Kapoor's Lord Rama.
"You can't ask for, pray for this thing. What happened is far beyond your wildest imagination. There's a certain divinity to it. What one can do is put one's head down and continue working," Ravi Dubey described his association with Ramayana with these words in an interview with Galatta Plus in February this year.
Ravi Dubey auditioned for the role of Lakshman. "There was a proper look test, audition, and I had meetings with Namit Sir (Malhotra, producer) and Nitesh Sir (Tiwari, director), and then I was cast in 2024," he recalled during the same interview.
Ravi Dubey, who's been working for 21 years in the industry, is a popular face on television. He and his wife, Sargun Mehta, founded the production house Dreamiyata Entertainment Pvt Ltd in 2016 and produced television series and Punjabi films.
But ever since Ramayana's cast was revealed, there's been a renewed interest in Ravi's career.
Boasting 3.7 million followers on Instagram, Ravi Dubey became another example of how a television star transitioned to mainstream Hindi films, following in the footsteps of Sushant Singh Rajput, Vikrant Massey, and others.
Commercials To 12/24 Karol Bagh
Ravi Dubey featured in 40 television commercials, including Reliance, TVS Victor, Mrs. Marino, Gee Pee Mobile, Nestle, and ICICI, after making his acting debut with Dilip Kumar's production.
In his words, he tasted his first stroke of fame with Zee TV's soap opera, 12/24 Karol Bagh, in which he was cast opposite Sargun.
"I think my show Karol Bagh was when, for the first time, I realised that in public places like shopping malls and cafes, when I visited, people started recognising me. That show was also very special for me because I met Sargun there. We started dating, and now we are married for life," he had told The Tribune in an old interview.
Fiction, Hosting, Reality Shows
Ravi Dubey tried his luck in fiction shows, reality shows, and hosting all simultaneously.
In October 2010, Dubey featured opposite Aishwarya Sakhuja in Sony Entertainment Television's romantic drama, Saas Bina Sasural, in which he portrayed the male lead role of Tej Prakash Chaturvedi.
Around that time, Dubey started his film career with a cameo in Arun Govil's 2011 Hindi film U R My Jaan.
In December 2012, Dubey participated in the fifth season of Star Plus television's celebrity couple dance reality show, Nach Baliye, along with Sargun Mehta. They emerged as the first runner-up of the season.
In May 2013, Dubey started hosting television shows. He replaced Mohit Malhotra to host Star Plus television's dance reality show, India's Dancing Superstar.
In March 2014, Dubey got the male lead in Zee TV's soap opera, Jamai Raja, in which he played the role of Siddharth "Sid" Khurana opposite Nia Sharma.
Later, in 2019, he made his debut in the digital space alongside Nia Sharma with the web series Jamai 2.0, serving as a reboot of his Zee TV show Jamai Raja.
In the meantime, he participated in Colors' stunt reality show, Khatron Ke Khiladi 8, where he ended up being the second runner-up.
Dubey was seen as one of the contestants in Colors' comedy show, Entertainment Ki Raat, along with Dipika Kakar and Asha Negi. He also participated in Star Plus' reality show, Lip Sing Battle, along with his wife, Sargun Mehta.
Venturing Into Production
Ravi Dubey's production house, Dreamiyata, is a combination of two words-dream and yata, meaning infinite. So, the ideology of their production house is "dream infinite."
Inspired by the shows on Pakistani channels Hum and ARY and Korean channels, Ravi Dubey wanted to explore a format for all-India shows, which would be somewhere between long-running television operas and click-bait shows.
The production house has come up with television series such as Udaariyaan, Ganga Mai Ki Betiyan, and Tu Juliet Jatt Di, and Punjabi films like Saunkan Saunkane and Saunkan Saunkanay 2.
Didn't Disclose Ramayana Casting To Sargun
As professional collaborators, Ravi and Sargun have a ground rule. They don't discuss their projects until they are announced. So, Sargun came to know about Ravi's casting in Ramayana through some other channel when the buzz gained momentum.
Respecting the sanctity of the project and the contract dynamics, Ravi still has not shared his on-set experience of working with Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, and Yash with his wife.
However, Ravi credited his wife, Sargun, as a "brilliant businesswoman" and an anchor in his life during a recent episode of Amitabh Bachchan's Kaun Banega Crorepati.
"She consistently brings out groundbreaking ideas and has the unique ability to see those ideas from point A all the way to point Z. I feel that I can never have those qualities; I have many weaknesses. I am the type of person who, once fully involved in one thing, will lose focus on everything else. It's not ideal, but I look at her and I see these attributes, and I'm always in awe. I'm lucky to have her as my wife," Ravi said on the show.
Conclusion
Having faith in divine intervention, Ravi summed up his Ramayana journey as something which is beyond his understanding. Asked how he stepped into the role of Lakshman, Ravi said he "surrendered" to the captain of the ship, Nitesh Tiwari, and to the divinity that made it possible.
While the lead cast of the film, Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, faced crucial scrutiny on social media on different grounds, divinity seems to be in favour of Ravi Dubey. Till date, his casting hasn't raised many eyebrows.
Ravi's unflinching trust in "divinity," perhaps, safeguards him from the worldly chatter.
Hopefully, today, and tomorrow, after the film releases.
Also Read | Sai Pallavi As Ramayana's Sita: Why Is Internet Divided Over Her Casting?