Celebrated comedian-actor Raju Srivastava died on Wednesday, September 21, after over 40 days of hospitalisation here, said his brother Dipoo Srivastava. He was 58 years old. Raju Srivastava suffered a heart attack on August 10 while working out at a hotel gym in Delhi. He was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and underwent an angioplasty. Since then, he was on the ventilator and never gained consciousness.
"I got a call from the family about half-an-hour ago saying he is no more. It is really unfortunate news. He was fighting in the hospital for over 40 days," Dipoo Srivastava told PTI.
Born as Satya Prakash Srivastava, the comedian ventured into stand-up comedy in 2005 through the reality and talent show called The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and finished as the runner-up. He also participated in the spinoff of the show titled The Great Indian Laughter Challenge - Champions and won the title ‘King of Comedy’.
Eventually, Raju began doing small roles in Bollywood movies and made his debut in Tezaab in 1988. Since then he has acted in several movies including Maine Pyaar Kiya, Baazigar, and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. Apart from movies, he has also made appearances in TV shows including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Shaktimaan and Bigg Boss. In 2013, Srivastava and his wife Shikha participated in season 6 of Nach Baliye, a couple’s dance show.
The comedian also made a brief political career when he was fielded as a candidate by the Samajwadi Party from Kanpur during the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections. However, he returned the ticket saying that he was not getting enough support from the local units. After that, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in March 2014. He has been a part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign and has appeared in several music videos and advertisements promoting cleanliness across the country.
(With PTI inputs)