Raju Srivastava rose to fame as Amitabh Bachchan's lookalike
India Today
Indian comedian Raju Srivastava's demise left everyone in shock. Did you know that he rose to prominence as Big B's lookalike?
Raju Srivastava suffered a heart attack while out at the gym . After being unconscious for several days, he breathed his last on September 21 at AIIMS Delhi. His untimely demise sent shockwaves across the country. Many took to social media to pay tribute to the legend.
Did you know that Raju Srivastava rose to prominence after mimicking Amitabh Bachchan? In this piece, let us see how Raju became successful as Big B's lookalike and the criticisms that came his way.
Back when Amitabh Bachchan's Deewar was released in 1975, Raju Srivastava was in school. He was so impressed with him that he bought posters of him and stuck them on the walls of his house.
Speaking to Zoom Digital, Raju said, "I became his fan to that extent that I used to get his posters and put them at my house. I doted his hairstyle and started imitating him. People used to address me as Big B. People used to call me at their homes for entertaining them, during social functions, religious occasions."
However, Raju did not receive much help from his family. He said that his relatives were insulted by his comedy. "They used to complain to my parents and thought would bring dishonour to my family. Comedy as an art was not known. They opposed the same," he added.
Raju Srivastava was an incredible talent right from his childhood. While he was in school, he mimicked his teacher, who reprimanded him for the same. His teacher said that mimicry is an insult to them. However, it was his school principal who encouraged him.
Speaking about his formative years, Raju said, "The principal had taken my favour and had said that I did something which other kids did not do. We laughed and the principal appreciated me. It became my strength. When that teacher used to be on leave, I only used to imitate. I used to change my voice and give attendance to other kids. At home, when relatives used to come, I used to imitate Indira Gandhi. As TV was not there, I used to listen to her on the radio."
