Raju Srivastav Passes Away: Tezaab, Maine Pyar Kiya & Journey Bombay To Goa – A Look At The Comedian’s Filmography20

 Raju Shrivastava: Ordinary man who became special by becoming a comedian

 

 India's famous comedian Raju Shrivastava fell unconscious while exercising in a hotel gym on August 10, after which he was admitted to a hospital in Delhi.  He died on Wednesday after suffering a life-and-death struggle for more than a month after suffering a heart attack.

 Born in 1963 in Kanpur to poet Ramesh Srivastava aka Balai Kaka, Raju Srivastava was fond of imitating film stars since childhood.

 Perhaps he got the most name in the world of comedy by imitating Amitabh Bachchan but he started comedy in an era when there was no YouTube, TV, CDs and DVDs.  His first comic sketch 'Hansna Muni Hai' was also released in the form of an audio cassette.

 Raju Shrivastava mentioned this in one of his interviews and said, 'It was the 1980s, those days there were not so many channels, only Door Darshan.  I am the man of the moment.  Currently DVD, CD.  All was not there, at that time we used to come out with audio cassettes that would get stuck, then you had to put a pencil in and fix it.  Our cassette came in the T-series.

 Raju Shrivastava had said that 'in the rickshaw in which we were sitting, our cassette was playing but the listener didn't even know us.  Sometimes we used to tease him by saying what are you listening to, man, stop and listen to something good.  On this, the rickshaw puller used to say, "Oh, no brother, there is someone Shrivastava, he makes me laugh a lot."

 Raju shared a story, 'There was a time when we were telling the story of Sholay to someone in the style of one of our characters Manohar in the train.  An uncle was sleeping on the top berth, he heard us and came down and said it is like this, whatever you are doing, do it in another way.  Make a cassette of what is.  Move to Bombay with a little effort, Gulshan Kumar's studio will be there.  You play your cassette there and your cassette will come.  A cassette of Shrivastava has surfaced, guess what.'

  Great Laughter Challenge fame

 Raju Shrivastava, who arrived in Mumbai in 1982, worked with the orchestra in its early days.  And for the first time they got only Rs 100 compensation

His journey in films started with Salman Khan's first film 'Maine Pyaar Kya'.  After that he also acted in many films like 'Baazi Gur', Bombay Se Goa, Amaya Athani and Kharcha Rupiya.

 But he gained nationwide fame with 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge', in which he made people go crazy with his brilliant comedy.

 Raju Shrivastava was also known as a comedian who delivered impromptu jokes without preparation.

 In an interview, when he was asked about his special ostentatious clothes, he said, "My shows are in fairs in cities like Lucknow, Patna, where there are huge crowds, so wear ostentatious clothes and people take it away."  can see from  And go anywhere and see that he is going, and he is standing.

 However, there was a time when Kapil Sharma's comedy show dominated all comedians of that era.  But Raju Shrivastava managed to carve out his own niche among them all.

 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed condolences on the death of Raju Shrivastava.  He said, 'He was a good artist.  Suppressing his pain throughout his life, he entertained everyone without distinction.  I pray for the peace of his soul on behalf of the people of the state.

 Real name Satya Prakash Shrivastava

 In an interview given to the BBC in November 2017, he said that 'Raju Shrivastava is my household name, but the name of the school college is Satyaprakash.  I like to be called Raju.  Raju sounds like a boy or a baby name and I want to be a baby forever.'

 As far as childhood is concerned, teachers were scolded for copying in school.  Used to imitate Indira Gandhi.  He used to do commentary in school sports matches.

 "Initially I watched Amitabh's films, be it Sholay or Dewar, I started imitating him, I started imitating him.  Friends used to call me Junior Amitabh.  People started calling me from small and big cities, be it Durga Puja, be it Dussehra, people used to call me there to recite dialogues.

Raju

 Rejected for Great Indian Laughter Challenge

 Raju Shrivastava didn't believe the 'Great Indian Laughter Challenge' was a big stage.  "Once I got an offer that a new boys' program was starting," he told the BBC.  Be it Sunil Pal, be it Ahsan Qureshi, be it Naveen Parbhakar... no one knew anyone.  I was being included.  People stopped me from going to a show that didn't have Johnny Lever, Javed Jaffrey and Arshad.  My cassettes 'Hansi Ka Hungama', 'Hanste Raho' had come in the market.  I had also worked in many films like Main Pyaar Kya, Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon, Mr. Azad, Wah Tera Kya Kehna, Aama Athani and Kharcha Rupiah, so I had rejected the director many times.  But I agree with Amitabh Bachchan as my idol that 'what sells sells'.

 Raju Shrivastava said, "I refused this show many times.  But the mind went towards it and from there everyone's destiny changed. Whoever participated became a star.

 "When I arrived at the Laughter Show, all the contestants who arrived there thought I was the judge there.  Who had listened to my audio cassette and knew me well.