Finance
Dev Raturi has become an icon because of his inspiring life journey, which is marked by his feat of getting a place in Chinese textbooks for grade 7 students as a symbol of resolve and triumph.
Bruce Lee served as an inspiration
Dev’s illustrious journey began when he became obsessed with a desire to master karate, a goal that stemmed from his love and respect for the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee.
His drive to follow in the footsteps of Lee can be understood by the fact that he once auditioned for a role in a Hindi movie in Mumbai in front of Puneet Issar (Duryodhan in ‘Mahabharat’) in 1998. But it didn’t work out.
Despite being knocked down several times, he persevered to turn his dreams into reality. Dev had to toil with his stints at humble jobs for about a decade in Delhi to support his family of farmers back home. But subsequently, in 2005, life handed Dev a golden opportunity – a job at an Indian restaurant in China.
From Delhi to China
Dev was offered a mediocre remuneration of Rs 10,000 at the said job, but he saw a silver lining in this transition. He doubled down on this chance by engrossing himself in the Chinese culture and language, Mandarin, expecting to pursue martial arts training eventually.
But his wish to get training at the renowned Shaolin Temple was still a distant dream owing to his financial limitations. However, Dev’s relentless grit and hard work ultimately bore fruits for him as he notched up his position by becoming a manager at a premium eatery in 2013.
Dive into world of showbiz
Building upon this new-found success, he went on to open his own restaurant in the city of Xi’an, China, with “Red Fort” as its name. This move opened up a new world to him as he came in contact with a Chinese director who had been to his restaurant.
This meeting thrust Dev into the showbiz world as the director offered him a small role in a TV series called “SWAT.” And he didn’t look back ever since. Over the years, he became a part of around 35 Chinese films and TV serials as an actor, thereby gaining popularity in Chinese cinema.
Raturi’s fame in the Chinese cinema circuit not only fetched him stardom but also gave him ample adoration and backing from the locals, particularly during the tough times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
