Bollywood mourns Raju Srivastava's demise; Ajay Devgn says comedian gifted India laughs, Rajpal Yadav speechless

Comedian-actor Raju Srivastava passed away on Wednesday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi after being admitted on August 10 following a heart attack. He was 58.

As the comedian's brother, Dipoo Srivastava informed the media about Srivastava's sudden demise, his supporters, friends and admirers from the film industry expressed their grief and paid condolences to the actor's family.

Veteran actors like Ajay Devgn, Madhur Bhandarkar, Rajpal Yadav and more remembered the late actor while they thanked him for making India laugh.


Devgn paid tribute to the 58-year-old actor by saying that in Srivastava's lifetime, the comedian gave everyone laughs and more laughs, on and off-screen.

"In your lifetime you gifted us laughs & more laughs, on & off the screen. Your untimely demise makes me very sad. RIP Raju. Shanti. May the Almighty give your family strength in this hour of bereavement," the 'Drishyam 2' star wrote on Twitter.


Film-maker Madhur Bhandarkar called Srivastava's untimely demise a piece of "tragic news". "Saddened to hear the tragic news of Raju Srivastav's untimely demise. He made us all laugh with his amazing comic timing for so many years we have lost a gem. My deepest condolences to his family members & admirers," Srivastava tweeted.


Srivastava, who received widespread recognition after participating in the first season of the stand-up comedy show 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge' in 2005, was part of the Indian entertainment industry since the late 1980s.

Fellow comic icon, Rajpal Yadav was speechless when he heard of Srivastava's sudden death on Wednesday. The actor and comedian took to his Instagram handle to pay tribute to his telly brother.

"I have no words to describe this loss. You have left us all too soon. You will be missed my brother. I just can’t believe this," Yadav wrote.

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During his stint on 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge' and even after that Srivastava, who was known most for his dry sarcasm and comic timing about various Indian aspects of life, became very popular for his stage character 'Gajodhar Bhaiya'. Subsequently, he also took part in the show's spin-off, 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge - Champions', where he won the title of 'The King of Comedy'.

Bollywood singer and Srivastava's friend, Shekhar Suman, said he was devastated after hearing the news of the comedian's demise.

The singer said that he was dreading this day for the last one month. "What I was dreading for the past one month has happened. Raju Srivastava has left all of us for his heavenly abode. Devastated to hear the news. May God grant him eternal peace," Suman, who had been sharing regular updates during the comedian's hospitalisation, wrote on Twitter.


In another tweet, the singer called Shrivastava "the funniest man alive."

"Raju was the funniest man alive. We will all miss him forever. I had the privilege and honour of judging him on many shows including "The Great Indian Laughter Challenge that catapulted him to unimaginable heights." He was unique and inimitable. Long live Raju!" Suman further wrote.


After gaining popularity as a comedian, he worked in TV shows like the 'Bigg Boss', 'Comedy Circus', 'Raju Hazir Ho', 'Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala' and 'Laugh India Laugh'. In 2009, he participated in Colors TV's dance reality show 'Nach Baliye' as a dance couple with his wife Shikha. Raju also appeared on 'Comedy Nights with Kapil'.


Apart from his filmy career, Srivastava was also involved in politics. On March 19, 2014, he joined the Bhartiya Janata Party. The same year, PM Narendra Modi also nominated him to be part of the government's cleanliness initiative, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Since then, through his events in different cities, Srivastava promoted cleanliness and made various music videos for the cause. He also shot various TV commercials and social service message videos for 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.