Raju Srivastav

Raju Srivastava (born Satya Prakash Srivastava; 25 December 1963), often credited as Gajodhar, is an Indian comedian.

Raju Srivastava
Raju Srivastav during an event
Birth nameSatya Prakash Srivastava
Born (1963-12-25) 25 December 1963
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
GenresObservational comedy
SpouseShikha Srivastava
Notable works and rolesStandup Comedy on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge
Websitewww.rajusrivastav.in

Early life

Raju Srivastava was born on 25 December 1963, in Kanpur, India in a middle class family. His father, Ramesh Chandra Srivastava, was a poet known as Balai Kaka. Being a good mimic, Raju wanted to become a comedian since childhood.

Career

Srivastav has performed in stage shows in India and abroad.[1] He also launched a series of audio cassettes and video CDs. He gained initial notice as an Amitabh Bachchan look-alike.

He started his career by doing small roles in Bollywood films. He had a part in the Rajshri Productions movie Maine Pyar Kiya[2] and other small roles in various movies such as Baazigar and Bombay to Goa.[1] He worked as an actor and comedian in the Bollywood movie Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya.[3]

He ventured into stand-up comedy with the talent show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge[4] and finished as second runner-up, subsequently taking part in the spin-off, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge - Champions, in which he won the title of "The King of Comedy".

Srivastav also participated in Bigg Boss (Hindi season 3), the Indian counterpart of the Big Brother (franchise). After staying in the house for more than two months he was voted out on 4 December 2009.[5] He later participated in the comedy show Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala.[6] In 2013, Raju along with his wife participated in Nach Baliye season 6, which is a couples dance show on StarPlus. He has also appeared on Comedy Nights with Kapil.

He also appeared in a show called Mazaak Mazaak Mein a.k.a. 'The Indian Mazaak League'. It was a stand-up comedy show which aired on Life OK. Popular cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar were the judges of the show.

Political career

The Samajwadi Party fielded Srivastava from Kanpur for the 2014 Lok Sabha election.[7] But on 11 March 2014, Srivastava returned the ticket, saying he was not getting enough support from the local units of the party.[8][9] After that, he joined Bhartiya Janta Party on 19 March 2014.[10][11][12]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi nominated him to be part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.[13] Since then he has been promoting cleanliness through his events in different cities. He has made various music videos for promoting cleanliness. He has also shot various TV commercials and social service message video for Swacha Bharat Abhiyaan.[14]

Personal life

Srivastav married Shikha from Lucknow on 1 July 1993. Together they have two children, Antara and Ayushman.[15] In 2010, Srivastav received threatening calls from Pakistan warning him not to crack jokes on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Pakistan during his shows.[16]

Filmography

Cinema
Year Name Role Notes
1988 Tezaab Cameo role
1989 Maine Pyaar Kiya Truck Cleaner
1993 Baazigar College Student
Mr. Azaad
1994 Abhay
2001 Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiyaa Baba Chin Chin Choo
2002 Waah! Tera Kya Kehna Banne Khan's assistant
2003 Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon Shambhu, Sanjana's servant
2006 Vidyaarthi: The Power of Students Inspector JK
2007 Jahan Jaaeyega Hamen Paaeyega Jailor
Big Brother Autorickshaw Driver & Rizwan Ahmed
Bombay to Goa Anthony Gonsalves
2010 Bhavnaon ko Samjho Daya from Gaya
Barood : (The Fire) - A Love Story'
2017 Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
Firangi special appearance

TV Series
Name Period Genre Channel Notes
The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Season1 Comedy STAR One
Bigg Boss[17] Season3 (2009)
Shaktiman 1998-2005 Doordarshan as Dhurandhar Singh
Tea Time Manoranjan 1994 Comedy Doordarshan
Masti TV
Raju Hazir Ho 2008 Comedy Imagine TV
Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala March–June 2011 Comedy STAR Plus
Comedy Circus 2007-2014 Comedy Sony Entertainment Television
Dekh Bhai Dekh 1993-1994 Sitcom DD Metro Cameo role
Laugh India Laugh July–September 2012 Stand-up comedy Life OK
Nautanki- The Come
Nach Baliye[18] Season6 Dance Reality Television STAR Plus
Comedy Nights with Kapil[19] 2013-2016 Comedy Chat Show Colors TV
The Kapil Sharma Show 2016-2017 Stand-up comedy Sony TV
Adaalat 2010-2016 Courtroom drama Sony TV as Raju Chaurasia
Gangs of Haseepur[20] April–July 2014 Comedy Reality television Zee TV a Host

References
  1. "An institute of comedy, courtesy Raju Srivastav". Deccan Herald. 11 September 2009. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  2. "28 years of Maine Pyar Kiya: Eight lesser-known facts about the Salman Khan starrer". The Indian Express. 29 December 2017. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  3. "Big B praises Raju Srivastav in KBC, comedian gets emotional". ABP Live. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  4. "Comic moments in comedian Kapil Sharma-Ginni Chatrath reception". Tellychakkar.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  5. Hegde, Rajul (7 December 2009). "Was shocked when Tanaaz, Aditi pulled my pajamas". Rediff. Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  6. "Raju Srivastav tickles the funny bone at Le Meridien, Bangalore". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  7. "Akhilesh Yadav turns to comedy, fields Raju Srivastava from Kanpur in Lok Sabha election". Indian Express. 14 February 2013. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  8. "Comedian Raju Srivastava returns SP Lok Sabha ticket". The Hindu. 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  9. "Comedian Raju Srivastava Returns SP Lok Sabha Ticket". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  10. "Jagdambika Pal, comedian Raju Srivastava join BJP, endorse Narendra Modi". Zee News. 19 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  11. "News18.com: CNN-News18 Breaking News India, Latest News Headlines, Live News Updates". News18. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  12. "Jagdambika Pal, artiste Raju Srivastava join BJP". 19 March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  13. "Raju Srivastav files complaint against using his image in anti-BJP message". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  14. "Raju Srivastav files complaint against using his image in anti-BJP message". The New Indian Express. 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  15. Jha, Sumit (2 July 2019). "LOL with Raju Srivastava on his wedding anniversary in Lucknow!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 January 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  16. "Comedian Raju Srivastav gets threat from Pak". indiatimes.com. Mumbai: Times of India. 31 January 2009. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  17. "BJP is future of Indian politics, says Raju Srivastava". News18. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  18. Unnikrishnan, Chaya (14 October 2013). "Funnyman Raju Srivastava and chef Ripudaman Handa in 'Nach Baliye 6'". DNA India. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  19. "Finally Raju Srivastav on 'Comedy Nights with Kapil'! - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  20. "Being seriously funny". 23 April 2014. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
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