Bhagwant Mann, Once Rival Of Raju Srivastava In Comedy Show, Pays Tribute

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who once shared the stage with Raju Srivastava on a comedy show as a rival contestant, condoled the actor-comedian's death and said he learned a lot from him.

"You made us laugh so much, but I am deeply saddened after this news. I worked with him for a long time and learned a lot. He is not between us, but his performance will always remain alive in our hearts. We'll miss you Gajodhar Bhaiya," he said in a tweet.

#RajuSrivastav जी ने अपने जीवन में हमें खूब हंसाया लेकिन आज ये खबर सुनकर बहुत दुख हो रहा है...

उनके साथ काफी काम किया और बहुत कुछ सीखने को भी मिला...

राजू जी भले ही शारीरिक तौर पर हमारे बीच नहीं हैं पर उनकी अदाकारी हमेशा दिलों में जीवित रहेगी
We'll miss you "Gajodhar Bhaiya". pic.twitter.com/3Un0UezWcl

— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) September 21, 2022

Gajodhar Bhaiya was a character developed by Srivastava, who was a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan and chose to pursue acting as a career after seeing him on screen.

Both Raju Srivastava and Bhagwant Mann had participated in the first season of the reality stand-up comedy show "The Great Indian Laughter Challenge" in 2005.

Raju Srivastava died today in Delhi, over a month after he suffered a cardiac arrest while working out in the gym. He was 58.

Raju Srivastava was declared dead at 10.20 am, said news agency PTI citing hospital sources.

Srivastava was hospitalised on August 10 after he collapsed in the gym following a heart attack. He underwent angioplasty the same day and was put on a ventilator.