Every job has its downside. What could be the occupational hazard for a comedian? “He is expected to crack jokes irrespective of the mood he is in,” says Raju Srivastav. Raju says the worst was when his father was recuperating after a heart attack and the ward boys and nurses expected him to narrate some funny situations.
“I said to myself that at the moment I have become a part of black humour.” Raju says it happens all the time. “People don't understand that I am a father as well and have roles to play in real life as well. When I am invited to a gathering, my kids are invariably left behind as people are interested only in me. During dinner parties, I remain anxious that any moment the host will call my name for a few jokes and I have to leave my food in the middle. Invariably, by the time I return to my seat, the dinner gets over!”
Raju got an opportunity to present his real self through Big Boss , but there again the producers wanted to squeeze as many jokes out of him as possible. “Slips were sent to me inside the house with requests to create some comic scenes.”
He doesn't seem to mind it for he agreed for this interview despite high fever. “I try to be as reasonable as possible. I have spoken to big actors like Shah Rukh Khan and he also feels that you have to live with it. People come only to certain actors and personalities with a hope that they won't say no. Those who they feel that they have risen from among them. We should respect their confidence.”
Hailing from Kanpur, Raju is his pet name. “Pet names like Guddu, Pappu, Raju are common in our region. My real name is Satya Prakash. When I had just started my performances in local events, one day an uncle introduced me as Raju on stage. And the name stuck with the crowd.” Recalling those years, Raju says he faced resistance at home for opting for a profession that was considered to be a hobby.
“Television was a new thing; there was only one channel and stand-up comedy hadn't become glamorous. Those days, a government job was considered the best option. But I found support from my father, who was a government servant but used to participate in hasya kavi sammelans at the local level. I believe somewhere inside he had that belief that his son could do what he couldn't. He allowed me to go to Mumbai.”
Raju says it is this brush with poetic soirees that has kept him away from cheap jokes and vulgar innuendoes. “There has been a lot of pressure but I have always said no to easy options.”
In the process, he has proved his father's faith was not misplaced. Today, Raju's life sketch is part of the Hindi text book of the 8th standard of the CBSE Board. “It is an inspirational story of how a boy from a small town made it big in the city of dreams.”
The newly launched channel Mastiii has made him its brand ambassador. “It's a great feeling. People are asking if I have started a new series. Nahin bhai, ab hum channel ke ambassador ban gaye hain ,” Raju says in his trademark style. The channel provides a mix of music-based programmes and gags on contemporary issues.
“It is an interesting combination as back-to-back music becomes tedious. It has given me an opportunity to play everyone from Mamata Banerjee to Aishwarya Rai and Siddhu to Baba Ramdev. We will raise topical issues, like right now we are writing a satire on the ruckus that happened in the Bihar Assembly.”
Different style
Having started his career by imitating Amitabh Bachchan, according to Raju what set him apart from other mimics was while others kept on spoofing film actors, he moved on to create characters from everyday life.
“I was the first one to copy Amitabh Bachchan. It gave me a start in the industry but I realised you can't survive only by mimicry. There are certain actors you grow up watching. You can copy them well but for others you have to practice. I decided to concentrate on observational humour and it need not always be Bollywood. Life has so many characters and situations. Most of my characters are rural or are from small towns. In the beginning the industry people said the city audience won't understand the accent, they won't relate to the issues.
But I remained adamant as I feel all of us are still connected to villages and their problems affect us. Gajodhar bhaiyya's popularity proves it. Now every channel has a serial whose storyline draws from rural India.” And news channels keep repeating the recordings of his old shows? Interestingly, channel rivalry and bouquet barriers don't come in the way of Raju's popularity.
“True, there are some loopholes in the Copyright Act that they use. I am consulting lawyers to raise objection to this blatant misuse of somebody's creativity.”
The fever has begun to show its effect and Raju excuses himself. “I want some rest.” Well deserved!
