Sometimes life chooses a path for you. Sometimes, while walking down one path, you take a turn that leads you somewhere entirely different. And very rarely does a person find success in everything they choose to pursue. Such has been the extraordinary journey of Ravi Valecha, popularly known as Master Ravi and arguably one of India’s first child stars. After becoming one of the highest-paid child actors of his time, Ravi went on to pursue his passion for cooking. He graduated from IIH Mumbai, worked as a professional chef with the Taj and eventually built a career in the hospitality industry. Today, he heads the administration department of a leading company, while also working towards setting up a film institute that would teach acting at an affordable cost. But his journey began with an unlikely exchange between a four-year-old Ravi and veteran actor Shashi Kapoor.

A four-year-old Ravi Valecha challenged Shashi Kapoor—and landed his first film

“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.

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That is how Ravi Valecha made his debut in Fakira, where he played Shabana Azmi’s four-year-old son. The journey that began in 1976 continued for the next 14 years. During this period, Ravi worked in more than 300 films across nine languages and several film industries, including Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Ravi Valecha once had a lioness’s milk

At just six, Ravi starred in Cheetah Mera Yaar, a film directed by K Parvez and featuring Vinod Khanna, Amjad Khan and Neetu Singh. Ravi played the role of a prince who is kidnapped, escapes and eventually finds himself in the jungle.

Unfortunately, the film never saw a release. But one scene from the movie remains etched in Ravi’s memory.

“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.

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Ravi also shot with several other wild animals for the film.

Ravi Valecha was earning Rs 3,000-3,500 a day in the 1980s

Ravi Valecha eventually became particularly famous for portraying a young version of Amitabh Bachchan in several of the superstar’s films, earning himself the nickname “Junior Amitabh Bachchan.”

His popularity translated into a lucrative career. At the peak of his child-acting years, he was reportedly earning Rs 3,000-3,500 per day in the 1980s—roughly equivalent to Rs 75,000-90,000 today when adjusted for inflation.

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But Ravi believes his biggest advantage was his ability to deliver a scene in a single take.

“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.”

‘I lost my childhood and teenage years’

The success came at a cost. Ravi Valecha began working at the age of four and continued until he was 18, missing out on much of a conventional childhood.

“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. Being constantly exposed to film sets and adult situations also meant that he had to mature much earlier than most children. “I used to think like a 24-year-old at 8. I lost my childhood and teenage.”

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Manmohan Desai wanted to launch him as a leading man

After 14 years in the industry, Ravi eventually stepped away from acting. But according to him, it wasn’t an impulsive decision—it was a planned break.

“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.”

Instead of returning to the film industry, Ravi chose another path.

From child star to professional chef

Having missed school because of his demanding shooting schedule, Ravi Valecha enrolled at IIH Mumbai. “I was very interested in cooking.”

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He graduated as a professional chef and worked with the Taj for a couple of years. He eventually expanded his experience across different aspects of the hospitality business, including room service, before establishing himself in the industry.

Today, Ravi heads the administration department of a leading company. On the side, he is also working towards his dream of starting a film institute where aspiring actors can learn acting at an affordable cost.

There was another childhood dream that Ravi never gave up on: flying.

“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.

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The darker side of his childhood

While Ravi Valecha’s journey may sound extraordinary, his childhood also had a deeply painful side. Despite having supportive parents, he has spoken about being abused as a child. Speaking to , Ravi said, “It happened with me three times.”

He recalled one such incident involving a young secretary who had been hired to accompany him to shoots. “A young secretary who had been hired to accompany me to shoots every day would touch me inappropriately in taxis and cars,” he said.

Looking back at those incidents, Ravi said the most difficult part was that he had nobody to confide in. “There was nobody I could talk to.”

He believes these experiences also contributed to his struggles with anger and a short temper later in life. Recently, Ravi began therapy, where he has been working on himself and anger management through various exercises.

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From a four-year-old child who found himself on a film set to one of the most successful child actors of his generation, followed by a career as a chef and a successful stint in hospitality, Ravi Valecha’s journey has taken several unexpected turns. And even at this stage of his life, he continues to pursue the dreams he once had to put aside.