New Delhi: Raju Srivastava was cremated at Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi on Thursday. His funeral was attended by his family members and some friends like Sunil Pal and Ahsaan Qureshi.
Ahead of the cremation, comedian Sunil Pal told ANI, “Raju Srivastava was today’s, Charlie Chaplin. He was a very hardworking person and use to perform on stage for 2-3 hours continuously. The audience loved to see him perform on stage and he also loved his work. For his entire life, he has already made every laugh. If people consider us star performers, then Raju Srivastava was the entire sky. He was our teacher but never made us feel that. Raju Ji was very down-to-earth and a great person. He will always be remembered.”
Comedian-actor Raju Srivastava breathed his last breath at the age of 58, on Wednesday at AIIMS Delhi, after being admitted there following a heart attack on August 10.
Raju, 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.
Born Satya Prakash Srivastava on December 25, 1963, to a middle-class family in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, his father, Ramesh Chandra Srivastava was a poet known as Balai Kaka. Since his childhood, Raju was fond of doing mimicry, which is why he wanted to be a comedian.
After completing his early studies in Kanpur, Raju shifted to Mumbai with the dream of becoming a comedian. He started his career by doing small roles in Bollywood films.
(With Agency Inputs)