Who was Raju Srivastav?

In August, Raju had a heart attack while exercising at a gym in the capital. He was taken to AIIMS and had an angioplasty there.

Satya Prakash Srivastava was an Indian humorist, actor, and politician better known by his stage name Raju Srivastava and frequently referred to as Gajodhar. In the comedy show referred to as ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’, he made his stand-up comedy debut and became runner-up. Then in the next season, he became the winner, where he also took home the title of “The King of Comedy.”

Srivastav additionally took part in the reality show Bigg Boss, the Indian version of Big Brother (franchise). He was forced out of the home on December 4, 2009, after more than two months of stay. He afterwards took part in the comedy program Comedy Ka Maha Muqabal.

Initial career

He began his career in the entertainment industry as an supporting actor. Notably, he also appeared in the film Maine Pyar Kiya and has had supporting roles in several other films, including Bombay to Goa. The movie named Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya was the debut film of his career as both an actor and a comedian.

From 2010 – 2022

In 2013, Raju and his wife, as a couple, participated in the Nach Baliye series. Additionally, he had an appearance on Comedy Nights with Kapil. Additionally, he participated in a program known as Mazak Mazak Mein, alternatively referred to as the Indian Mazak League. The show’s judges included well-known bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Harbhajan Singh.

Political existence

Srivastav started his political career by joining Samajwadi Party and was also declared SP candidate for the general election in 2014 from Kanpur. However, he rejected the ticket on March 11, 2014, claiming that the local units of the party were not sufficiently supporting him. A few days later, on March 19, 2014, he became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

As a participant in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA), he was invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since then, he has advocated the importance of cleanliness through his programs in several locations. Moreover, he also worked on numerous videos to make people aware and encourage them to maintain hygiene and sanitation. As part of SBA, he has also produced several TV advertisements and videos containing social responsibility messages.

Personal life 

The marriage of Srivastav and Shikha from Lucknow occurred on July 1, 1993. They had two children together, Ayushman and Antara. During his presentations, Srivastav got threatening phone calls from Pakistan in 2010 telling him not to joke about Pakistan and mafia don Dawood Ibrahim.

His demise

Raju Srivastava, an actor and stand-up comedian, passed away on September 21 in Delhi at age 58, his relatives revealed to Indian Express. According to Indian Express, Raju’s brother, Deepu, said, “He passed away on the 21st morning. His daughter Antara informed me right now. I’m in Mumbai, leaving for Delhi.” 

According to hospital officials, the comedian died at about 10:30 am. Manoj Muntashir, Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, and others paid respect to Raju.

In August, Raju had a heart attack while exercising at a gym in the capital. He was taken to AIIMS and had an angioplasty there. He was reportedly in severe condition and had been on a ventilator for more than a month. Although he made a little progress, eventually, his condition deteriorated.