Ravi Kishan on Akshay Kumar in ‘Welcome To The Jungle’’s ‘Ghis Ghis Ghis’: ‘I Am So Glad To See A Bollywood A-Lister Making That Crossover To Bhojpuri’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Akshay Kumar’s foray into Bhojpuri music with “Ghis Ghis Ghis” for “Welcome To The Jungle,” is making all the right noises and getting the views. The music video has hit 16 million views in a mere two days.

Bhojpuri cinema superstar Ravi Kishan is pleased by Akshay Kumar’s crossover. “I am so glad to see a Bollywood A-lister making that crossover. There is nothing like Hindi, Telugu or Bhojpuri music anymore. A hit is a hit, no matter what the language. There was a time when I was the only actor who believed there was hope for the Bhojpuri film industry. I worked hard in every department -- sitting on scripts, music sittings, casting, etc. I used all my contacts in Bollywood, and convinced them to work at a discount. It wasn't easy, but it happened."

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Earlier Bhojpuri cinema popular singer Pawan Singh sang the Bhojpuri chartbuster “Aayi Nahi” in “Stree 2 “ (2024). While Neha Kakkar and Yo Yo Honey Singh sang “Aao Raja” for Akshay Kumar’s 2015 film, “Gabbar Is Back,” a special Bhojpuri version was released two years ago with Indu Sonali on singing duty.

The first Hindi film superstar to embrace the Bhojpuri language in a mainstream Bollywood cinema was Dilip Kumar in the 1961 classic Ganga Jumna. The song “Nain Lad Jaihen,” sung by Mohammed Rafi, written by Shakeel Badayuni and composed by Naushad, was entirely in the Bhojpuri language. This was the first truly success Bhojpuri-to-Hindi crossover. 

Another Bollywood superstar who spearheaded the movement of Bhojpuri songs into the Hindi film industry was Amitabh Bachchan. His “Khaike Paan Benaras Wala” written by Anjaan and composed by Kalyanji-Anandji had generous smatterings of Bhojpuri. Bachchan was unwell and  heavily medicated while performing to that  song.

Coincidentally, Akshay Kumar too was burning with a fever while performing to “Ghis Ghis Ghis” in “Welcome To The Jungle.”

Dev Anand, who actually played a “Banarasi Babu,”rejected “Khaike Paan Benaras Wala” as he felt it didn’t suit his image.

More recently, Rajkummar Rao shot an entire Bhojpuri song “Affair,” in the film “Maalik” along with Bhojpuri actor-singer Khesari Lal Yadav. 

Raj recalls, “It was a full-on dhamaka song. And I loved every bit of it, especially since Khesari Lalji joined me in the film. I have also done a Bhojpuri song in “Stree 2” with Pawan Singh. I would love to do another Bhojpuri song anytime.”