Raju Srivastava, veteran comedian who was admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has died at the age of 58. Raju Srivastava had a heart attack on August 10 and was hospitalized after he complained of chest pain while running on a treadmill at the gym. He also underwent an angioplasty the same day.
“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,” said his brother Dipoo Srivastava. Raju Srivastava was declared dead at 10.20 am, according to hospital sources.
Raju Srivastava was on a life support system at AIIMS, Delhi. The comedian regained consciousness after 15 days on ventilator support. However, on September 1, after he ran a fever as high as 100 degrees, he was put on ventilator support again.
Srivastava worked in the entertainment industry since late 1980s, and received recognition after participating in the first season of the stand-up comedy show “The Great Indian Laughter Challenge” in 2005. He had featured in films like ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, ‘Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya’ and ‘Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon’ among others.
He also appeared in the third season of the reality television show ‘Bigg Boss’, ‘Nach Baliye 6’ and ‘Comedy Nights With Kapil’.
Later in 2014, he ventured into politics and was fielded on the ticket of the Samajwadi Party from Kanpur for the Lok Sabha elections. He returned the ticket, however, saying he was not getting enough support from the local units of the party. After that, he joined Bharatiya Janata Party on March 19, 2014.
Later, he served as the brand ambassador of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat campaign and was the Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council. In that capacity, he laid the foundation for the upcoming NOIDA film city project.
Battling odds, but on his own terms, was Srivastava’s way of life. Raju Srivastava, counted as among the most high profile and experienced comics in the country, is survived by his wife and two children.
