People say life gives everyone equal chances but “only the ones who make hay while the sun shines, rise up!” .The same is the case with our Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja who rose to stardom after going through many hard times in his life. There lie many lessons which can be learnt from the inspiring story of his life.
Ravi Shankar Raju Bhupathiraju, fondly known as Ravi Teja, comes from a very small village of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. Born in a family with no industry background, his diligence and passion solely, paved way for his success. The fact that he reached the zenith at his own guts and willpower sets him separate from the industry.
Being fascinated by acting since childhood, Amitabh Bachchan remained his icon forever. While enacting his favourite idol in the childhood, Teja set his house on fire. There were his brothers inside the house who managed to escape their death by a whisker. His parents also punished him owing to his carelessness. But this could not bring any halt in following his dream of acting in movies.
He ran away from his house at a very tender age of 11 just to work in Bollywood and become as popular as his icon. Initially, all his efforts went in vain but once on work, Teja would be so engrossed and sincerely dedicated towards it. Hardly had he completed his graduation from the town of Vijayawada, when he went to Chennai for pursuing his career in acting.
As a fresher, he bagged small roles for few Telugu films and also worked in some Hindi serials. His tables were turned when Krishna Vamsi appointed his as the assistant director for ‘Ninne Pelladatha’ in 1996. This way he could enhance not only his acting but also his directing skills. But this did not quench his thirst. He wanted to go beyond the boundary and explore his best.
Fortunately, he bagged a role in several movies among which ‘Criminal’, ‘Prathibandh’ and ‘Aaj Ka Gundaraj’ remain evergreen. He continued to work desperately for achieving his goal. His first film as a lead actor was ‘Nee Kosam’ directed by Sreenu Vaitla in 1999, which eventually fetched him an award and brought him into the limelight.
Gradually, Mass Maharaja started getting offers and one of his biggest breaks was with ‘Itlu Sravani Subramaniam’. He acquired name and fame with this movie. The movie, ’Idiot’ proved to be the game-changer in Teja’s life. This movie gave him a recognition as a “Loafer and a Mass hero” all over the South.
Though our beloved Mass hero has seen many ups and downs in his life, he never stepped down. He always looked forward to challenges with utmost boldness and faced them with no fear hidden within.
His films are definitely the eye-catchers and leave everyone in a state of wonder. Some of his hits like ‘Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi’, ‘Idiot’ and ‘Devudu Chesina Manushulu’ remain in the soft corner of our hearts, “now and forever”.
His story inspires us to follow our dreams, irrespective of our backgrounds. Everything’s possible given that we envision success and set our soul on fire to achieve that dream.