Amitabh Bachchan says he sent a voice note in a bid to revive Raju Srivastava: ‘He opened his eye but then…’

Actor Amitabh Bachchan on Thursday paid homage to comedian-actor Raju Srivastava and remembered him for his everyday humour. Srivastava, who died on Wednesday after 41 days of hospitalisation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), was an ardent fan of Bachchan since his teens. He got his first major break courtesy his resemblance to the cinema icon and his impersonations of him. In fact, he was known as ‘Junior Bachchan’ in his early days.
“Another colleague friend and creative art leaves us .. a sudden ailment and gone before time .. before his creativity time completion .. each day in the morning with him in spirit and information from near ones .. they got advised to send a voice to awaken his condition .. i did .. they played it for him in his state in his ears .. on one instance he did open his eye a bit .. and then .. went away,” Amitabh wrote on his blog.
Remembering Raju Srivastava’s work, the actor added, “His sense of timing and the colloquial humour of his birth shall remain with us .. it was unique , open frank and filled with humour .. he smiles from the Heavens now and will be the reason for mirth with the God’s.”

Srivastava, 58, was taken to the AIIMS on August 10 after suffering a heart attack while working out at a Delhi hotel. He underwent angioplasty and was on a ventilator since then.

Raju Srivastava was laid to rest on Thursday in Delhi. Srivastava, a popular name in India’s stand-up comedy circuit, first came to Mumbai when Bachchan sustained a near-fatal injury while shooting for the film Coolie. The attachment with Bachchan continued through years and a photo of the star is a permanent fixture at Srivastava’s house even today.