Comedian Raju Srivastav Passes Away At 58, Family Confirms

Comedian Raju Srivastav has passed away. The actor-comedian was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in New Delhi last month following a heart attack during a workout session. The news of his death was reported by ANI.

“Comedian Raju Srivastava passes away in Delhi at the age of 58, confirms his family. He was admitted to AIIMS Delhi on August 10 after experiencing chest pain & collapsing while working out at the gym,” the agency tweeted.

Comedian Raju Srivastava passes away in Delhi at the age of 58, confirms his family.

He was admitted to AIIMS Delhi on August 10 after experiencing chest pain & collapsing while working out at the gym.

(File Pic) pic.twitter.com/kJqPvOskb5

— ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2022

The comedian suffered a heart attack on August 9 and was soon rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in Delhi. Srivastav’s team confirmed that he suffered a heart attack while working out, at the time.

“He was working out on the treadmill around 11-11:30 when he had the stroke. He is stable now. There is nothing to worry (about) as of now. Doctors are conducting tests, we’ll share more information soon,” his team said. It was later reported that the comedian suffered immense brain damage too after cardiac arrest.

Even though Raju Srivastava is no more among us, his legacy will stay forever. A popular name in the comedy circuit, Srivastava was born in December 1963 in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur. Son of the famous poet Ramesh Chandra Srivastava, Raju was a good mimic right from his childhood days. Reportedly, the comedian used to imitate his teachers during his school days.

However, Raju’s act of comedy and mimicry was not appreciated by his relatives. In 2020, the comedian recalled a childhood incident and revealed how his parents were told that Raju’s comedy would bring dishonour to the family.

“My relatives felt insulted by my comedy. They used to think that children need to study and not recite jokes at the homes of other people. They used to complain to my parents and thought would bring dishonour to my family. Comedy as an art was not known. They opposed the same,” he had said. But nothing could stop Raju!

Raju Srivastava was a part of the entertainment industry right from the early 1990s. He made his showbiz debut with Anil Kapoor’s 1988 movie Tezaab. Later, Raju featured in films that also had Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Govinda and Hrithik Roshan. Raju did several stage shows before he was spotted by Johnny Lever.

However, he rose to fame after he participated in the reality show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2005. Raju emerged as the first runners-up of the show and won everyone’s heart with his comedy. He later featured in several shows including Raju Hazir Ho (2009), Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala (2011), Laugh India Laugh (2012), Comedy Nights with Kapil (2013) and Gangs of Haseepur (2014) among others. He also participated in Bigg Boss 3.

Raju loved Amitabh Bachchan and had openly accepted in the past how he used to mimic Big B even in his childhood days. “I became a fan of mimicry and comedy when I saw Amitabh Bachchan’s Deewar. I became his fan to the extent that I used to get his posters and put at my house. I doted his hairstyle and started imitating him. People used to address me as Big B,” Raju had said during an interview.

If Big B was his favourite actor, he too was the actor’s favourite comedian. The two surely shared a humble and friendly bond. It was also visible from Amitabh’s heart-touching gesture during Raju’s last few days when he sent a voice note for the comedian in which he said, “Utho, abhi bahot kaam karna hai (Get up, you have to work a lot).”

Raju was not only widely loved for his impersonation of Bollywood actors but political leaders, too. In a 2017 interview, the comedian revealed how even Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys his mimicry. “He told me, ‘If you wish to, you should mimic me, just take care that the crowd should be entertained.’ He believes mimicry is art. Modi ji in fact said that there should not be in any discrimination, that powerful people are not poked fun at and only rest of the sections are the subject of one’s humour,” Raju had said.

Not many people know that Raju Srivastava is also one of the faces who worked 24×7 for setting up a film city in Uttar Pradesh. Even at the time of his unfortunate death, he served as the chairman of the Film Development Council, Uttar Pradesh.

Well, Raju Srivastava aka Gajodhar Bhaiya’s death has left us all teary-eyed and with a heavy heart but his words, “Jitna hasenge, utna healthy rahenge (They more you laugh, healthier you’ll be),” will stay with us as a life lesson forever.