1 / 8Comedian Raju Srivastava passed away in Delhi on Wednesday at the age of 58, his family has confirmed. Srivastava was admitted to AIIMS Delhi on August 10 after he complained of chest pain and collapsed while working out at the gym. He had been on the ventilator for over a month. His brother Dipoo Srivastava had recently said the actor was recovering slowly but was unconscious.
2 / 8Born in Kanpur on December 25, 1963, Srivastava was inclined to mimicry from a young age. His father, Ramesh Chandra Srivastava, known as ‘Balai Kaka’, was a famous Hindi poet. Although Srivastava debuted in Bollywood with the film Tezaab in 1988, it was not until 2005 that he got recognition for his talent. Since his first appearance in ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Gajodhar Bhaiya, as Srivastava came to be known, became a household name. Here’s a look at some of the most memorable moments from Raju Srivastava's career.
3 / 8Movie debut with Tezaab | After moving to Mumbai, Srivastava bagged a few small roles in movies. He was first seen in the movie Tezaab in 1988 along with Johnny Lever and Anil Kapoor. Srivastava also acted in other movies like Maine Pyaar Kiya, Baazigar, Abhay, and Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiyaa.
4 / 8The Great Indian Laughter Challenge | The major turning point in Srivastava’s career came from Star One’s show titled The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2005. Although he didn’t win the show, his character Gajodhar Bhaiya became very popular.
5 / 8Bigg Boss | In 2009, Srivastava participated in Bigg Boss Season 3. He stayed in the house for over two months and was voted out on December 4, 2009.
6 / 8Nach Baliye | He also participated in the dance reality show Nach Baliye with his wife, Shikha.
7 / 8Shows with Kapil Sharma | The prolific comedian was part of Kapil Sharma’s popular shows -- Comedy Nights with Kapil and The Kapil Sharma Show. Like Raju, Kapil too had risen to fame via the later seasons of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.
8 / 8Swachh Bharat Abhiyan | The comedian was nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 to be part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
