Last week, one of the most tragic news surfaced the entire as thousands of fans worldwide mourned the demise of Indian comedian Raju Shirvastav who took his last breath in Delhi at the age of 58.
It was reported that Shrivastav was on a ventilator for several weeks at New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS), until he eventually passed away. Due to his deteriorating health conditions, he was put on life support since the 1st of September. It is also reported that his health conditions worsened after he suffered a heart attack on the 10th of August.
Whilst this is heartbreaking news to the entire nation, his demise also marks the end of an era in comedy for India. He took stand-up comedy to the television and was well loved for his satirical personality. He was particularly known for his mimicry which gained immense popularity after he emerged as a finalist in the first season of ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.’ While he was the second runner-up in the show, his acts had a lasting impact on the audience earning him a lot of fame.
Shrivastav was also featured in multiple Bollywood films including ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’, ‘Baazigar’, ‘Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon’ and ‘Toilet : Ek Prem Katha’, where his characters were designed to highlight a comical aspect.
In addition to his contribution to the world of Indian comedy, he also participated in popular Indian reality TV shows such as Nach Baliye with his wife, which is a real life couple dancing competition and Big Boss which is the Indian version of reality show Big Brother hosted by the superstar Salman Khan. It is a lesser known fact that Shrivastav’s political involvement included him joining the Bhartiya Janta Party in 2014 where he was an active campaigner of PM Modhi’s Swachh Bharat Abhyan.
During his lifetime he touched many people through his carefree and comical nature, even though he is not in this world anymore, his legacy will live on, provision a cemented from of inspiration to up and coming, aspiring comedians.
