When Amitabh Bachchan suffered a near-fatal accident on the sets of the 1983 film Coolie, an 18-year-old man from Kanpur left everything behind to meet his idol. The man, Raju Srivastava, not only fulfilled his dream, but also carved a niche in the world of comedy, eventually earning the title of the ‘King of Comedy’.
“I had watched Sholay (1975) and was so affected by the death of Jai, whom I innocently believed had passed away in real life, that I embodied him,” Srivastava once revealed on a television show. This deep admiration for Bachchan would become a cornerstone of his early career.
The comedian’s rise to fame was marked by his mimicry, observational humour, and relatable characters, examining the quirks of everyday life. He was the common man’s comedian, the “brand ambassador for small-town anxieties”, at a time when stand-up had still to take off in India—before Kapil Sharma, Vir Das, and Kenny Sebastian.
His brand of dry wit and observational humour resonated with viewers. Through his skits, he created unforgettable characters like Gajodhar Bhaiya, a villager whose sharp observations on everyday life turned the ordinary into extraordinary punchlines. Whether it was a yawning cow at a village crossing or the chaos of a wedding buffet or the woes of a Bombay local train, Srivastava scoured mundane minutiae of life for material. Politicians like Mamata Banerjee and Lalu Prasad Yadav were not exempt.
But his comedy did not keep pace with a changing India.
“Raju Srivastava’s comedy remained the same, and over time, became repetitive without any innovation,” wrote podcast host Anurag Minus Verma in ThePrint.
‘King of Comedy’
Born Satya Prakash Srivastava to a poet father, he grew up surrounded by literary gatherings. At one such event, a neighbourhood elder dubbed him “Raju,” a name that would stick. As a teenager, he began performing at local weddings, filling in for a drunken mimicry artist and captivating the audience with his impressions of Bachchan.
In the 1980s, he released an audio cassette, Hansna Mana Hai, featuring his mimicry and original jokes. It was a hit, catching the attention of Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle, who introduced him to the music director duo Kalyanji-Anandji. Soon, Raju Srivastava became a regular feature alongside Johnny Lever, at live shows.
As stand-up comedy began to gain popularity in India, particularly with shows like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Srivastava’s career skyrocketed. He was crowned the “King of Comedy” on one of the show’s spin-offs, stepping out from behind his Bollywood impressions to showcase his observational humour. He never forgot his roots, performing in fairs and always making it a point to wear brightly coloured clothing.
“I perform at fairs in cities like Lucknow and Patna, where large crowds gather. Wearing these outfits helps people spot me from a distance,” he explained in an interview.
His daughter, Antaraa, talked fondly of her ‘taskmaster father’ who would give them lessons on hardwork and remind them of their roots.
“He who would always treat everyone equally and would remember every detail of his conversations with people that would later become part of his skits. It was the USP of his comedy”.
His nephew, director Kushal Srivastava, remembers him as “the one who taught him life”.
“He showed me how to cut the cake on my first birthday… When I was 10, he explained how films were made in Mumbai, and by the time I was 25, he guided me on how to make my own film and gave me my first handycam—gifts that shaped my journey,” Kushal told ThePrint.
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The shift in comedy and the waning relevance
Srivastava laid the groundwork for the next generation of comedians such as Kapil Sharma, Bharti Singh, Sunil Grover, and Krushna Abhishek.
His humour felt deeply personal, making audiences feel as if he was with them, humorously dissecting the absurdities of daily life.
This profound connection with fans drew the attention of political parties. In 2014, the Samajwadi Party fielded him from Kanpur for the Lok Sabha elections, but he declined citing insufficient local support. Shortly after, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was appointed an ambassador for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, where he effectively promoted the initiative through various public platforms.
However, Srivastava’s appeal began to wane as stand–up comedy in India evolved. While Srivastava’s humour thrived on television, the digital age again brought new challenges. Some of his older routines, including his portrayal of beggars, were criticised while in his later years, he faced scrutiny for his Islamophobic content.
Despite these shifts, Srivastava’s impact on Indian comedy is undeniable.
When he passed away due to a cardiac arrest on 21 September 2022, at the age of 58, everyone from peers to politicians mourned his death. However, for the lifelong Bachchan fan, perhaps the apt farewell was given by the man himself. In his blog, Bachchan noted how a day before Srivastava’s passing, he had sent a voice note to the comedian quoting his famous lines from the 1971 film Anand.
“I recorded it, they played it for him…on one instance he did open his eye a bit, and then went away,” Bachchan wrote.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)