Anupam Kher, Johny Lever, Krushna Abhishek remember actor-comedian Raju Srivastava

Actor-comedian Raju Srivastava passed away on September 21 after being on ventilator for more than a month. He was admitted to AIIMS in New Delhi on August 10 after he collapsed working out in the gym. After his unfortunate demise, several artists have recollected their fond memories of the actor and the time they spent together. Anupam Kher , Johny Lever , Krushna Abhishek , Jaaved Jaaferi, all had fond things to say about the man who made the entire nation laugh effortlessly.

He would always meet by giving me a hug: Anupam Kher

Veteran actor Anupam Kher shared a video and recollected how Srivastava was full of life and gave him a hug every time they met.

He wrote this as his caption- “Dear Raju Srivastava! The whole country’s laughter has stopped because of your passing. She did not resonate in glee! What was the hurry to make the people above laugh? Will be missed a lot friend! He laughed loudly at you. He narrated his new joke by placing his hand on the shoulder. Laughing and crying! Oh peace!”

He would advise me: Krushna Abhishek

Actor and comedian Krushna Abhishek also has his share of memories with Srivastava. Recalling them to ETimes, the actor said, “With him around, it was always a laugh riot. He would crack jokes on the set and perform various gags for us. I would meet him at Chi Chi mama’s home. They have worked together in many movies and were very friendly. He has seen my professional growth from an assistant director to an actor and eventually to perform with him. He would advise me, too.”

He was like family to me: Johny Lever

Speaking to ETimes, veteran actor Johny Lever, recalling and recollecting his memories with Raju Srivastava , said, “We have done many shows together. I started my Johny Lever Nights since then he was with me and he was new and had come to Mumbai from Kanpur. Then he started his own shows as well. I had asked him to start his own show. And he worked in TV and films. We couldnt work together in films. He did a lot of stage shows. We would eat food together and he got married in front of us only. He was like family to me. He would call me, he was a good friend of my brother too."

Talking about being neighbors at one point of time and how the bond only grew, Lever recollected, “We were neighbours in Antop Hill, years back we stayed in rented apartments, he used to live in Sector 7 and Sector 5. Raju used to always be there in every meeting for our Mimicri association. He has even done shows with my brother, there was a lot of love and bonding between us.”

Knew Raju since he started his career: Jaaved Jaaferi

Talking to IANS, Jaaferi took everyone way back in time, revealing how he knew the comedian when he was just starting out. ““I knew Raju because when he started off his career, he was doing small stage shows. At that point I was impressed. He was a simple guy, but his humour was very earthy, very Indian rooted, coming from a small town, but catering to a very wider Indian sensibility. Not only on shows, but wherever he stood among the people, he used to make them laugh.”

He’s an inspiration to most of the comedians: Amit Tandon

Comedian Amit Tandon, in an exclusive statement to Firstpost, said, “Raju Srivastava was the best observational comedian we had. What he did was a very different art form where he would not mimic people but objects also. If you see some of his acts, he would be describing Tubelight, he would be describing candle, and you could see the candle in front of you. I remember his marriage act where he enacts almost every person from the marriage. You could see the entire family through the acting of one person. He’s an inspiration to most of the comedians of our generation. His comedy was very close to his roots. His characters like Gajodhar and Sangatha were from villages, tier-three cities, and still they connected across classes. Everyone has loved Raju Srivastava, watched his sets, and he has done this one thing, brought empathy to the things people go through in those cities. One set was when people are stuck in floods and journalists are only asking about how people are feeling instead of trying to help them. His contribution to comedy is amazing and I’ve learned a lot from him.”

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