Why was Raju Srivastava known as Gajodhar Bhaiyaa?

If Salman Khan is Prem, Shah Rukh Khan is Raj and Rahul, Amitabh Bachchan is Vijay, Raju Srivastava was Gajodhar. The actor-comedian blended his own nuances into this fictional character’s immensely contagious eccentricity. This character was a hardcore movie buff. He has seen Sholay and many other blockbusters and narrated his experience to an entire village in his impeccable and inimitable style. One could never get enough of him.

But how was Gajodhar born? What inspired Srivastava to take this name and use for comic relief and device? Back in 2013, while giving an interview to the AIB Podcast, the actor-comedian revealed, “Gajodhar was a barber at my grandfather’s house. We all are from Kanpur, but during our vacations, we used to go to our Nanihal. Gajodhar was our uncle’s friend so we used to call him uncle too. So every time our uncle used to see our long hair, he used to call Gajodhar for our haircut.”

He added, “The reason why I remember Gajodhar is because, even though he used to come for our haircut, he used to carry a bucket, lota, dabba, and even a chaddar and quilt. And he used to come on a bullock cart. He used to park his bullock cart, separate the bulls, feed them fodder, and massage my uncle first. We just sat with wet hair. He used to give a haircut to my brother and say that my haircut would happen in the evening. He then used to take a bath in the well and sit only in his Langot. My haircut used to happen at 7 in the evening. And during the haircut, he used to narrate his stories, right from Doordarshan to buying new bullock carts to a girl eloping from her house, it was very entertaining to listen to these stories. When I came to Bombay, I needed a character for comedy and suddenly, Gajodhar came out of my mouth. And people began to like it.”

Srivastava has featured in Hindi films such as Maine Pyar Kiya, Baazigar, Bombay to Goa (remake) and Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiya. He was one of the contestants on Bigg Boss season three that was hosted by Amitabh Bachchan. Srivastava was also seen in Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon in 2003. Roshan even shared a note on his social media account as the comedian departed for the skies. The other celebrities that condoled his demise were Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, and Anushka Sharma.

Srivastava rose to fame with The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2005, and right from his first act about news readers to erratic and eccentric guests at weddings, viewers were hooked to his wit and mannerisms that led to uproarious moments right till the show was on air. Over the years, Srivastava’s gags and performances enjoyed a following of their own on social media in the form of memes.

Post the staggering success of Laugher Challenge, he also performed at the 2006 and 2007 Star Screen Awards and the grand finale of dance reality show Nach Baliye. Remember his act on the grand finale of Laugher Challenge when he enacted the struggles of an underworld don who quits the world of crime? That found its way into Indra Kumar’s film Double Dhamaal in 2011. Kumar even confessed to the comedian of being a fan of that performance. He leaves behind nothing but memories of good times.

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.