When Raju Srivastava defeated Bhagwant Mann

New Delhi: Raju Srivastava, an actor-comedian who became a household name after his successful stint in popular TV show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’, passed away on Wednesday. He breathed his last at the age of 58.

Raju, fondly known as ‘Gajodhar Bhaiya’, was admitted to AIIMS Delhi on 10 August after experiencing chest pain and collapsing while working out at the gym.

“Raju Srivastava brightened our lives with laughter, humour and positivity. He leaves us too soon but he will continue to live in the hearts of countless people thanks to his rich work over the years. His demise is saddening. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.

Hailing from Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, Raju came to Mumbai in the 80s and started his career with small roles in films like ‘Tezaab’ (1988), ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ (1989) and ‘Baazigar’ (1993) until he bagged ‘Tea Time Manoranjan’ — a comedy show that aired on Doordarshan in 1994. He was later seen as Dhurandhar Singh in ‘Shaktimaan’.

However, the turning point in his professional life was ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’.

Besides him, the popular show even gave recognition to Bhagwant Mann, who is currently the Chief Minister of Punjab.

The TV show, which was judged by Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu and actor Shekhar Suman, saw Sunil Pal emerging as the winner, while Ehsaan Qureshi finished second and Raju Srivastava was announced as the second runner up.

Among the top six contestants, Raju was followed by Naveen Prabhakar, Bhagwant Mann and Parag Kansara.

Bhagwant Mann remembered Raju on Twitter and wrote, “#RajuSrivastav ji made us laugh throughout his life but today it is very sad to hear about his demise. Have worked a lot with him and got to learn a lot… Raju ji may not be with us physically but his performances will always be alive in our hearts. We’ll miss you ‘Gajodhar Bhaiya’.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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