Raju Srivastava health update: Comedian's wife calls him 'fighter', seeks fans' prayers and wishes

NEW DELHI: Popular comedian-actor Raju Srivastava, who has been in the intensive care unit of AIIMS for more than a week now after suffering a heart attack, continues to remain critical and on ventilator. Srivastava was admitted to the AIIMS, New Delhi here after he suffered a heart attack on August 10. The 58-year-old stand-up comic underwent an angioplasty the same day.

His wife Shikha Shrivastava shared an update about his health condition and said that Raju Shrivastava is stable and doctors are treating him well. "He is stable. Doctors are treating him well. Raju ji is a fighter and he will come back to be amongst all of us. We need your prayers and wishes," Shikha told PTI.

"Raju Srivastava is a fighter and will come back to be amongst all of us," she said.

As worries mounted over the state of his health and some speculated that he was brain dead, his daughter Antara told PTI that 'doctors are still treating him'. She said she would not be able to comment further.

Raju Srivastava, a stand-up comic who joined the BJP in 2014, was trending on Twitter on Thursday with many posts speculating about his health. Last week, Srivastava's family released a statement on his official Instagram page, saying his condition was 'stable' and requesting people to 'ignore any rumour/fake news being circulated'.

A familiar face in the entertainment industry since the 1980s, Srivastava catapulted to fame after participating in the first season of the reality stand-up comedy show 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge' in 2005 and finished as second runner-up. Often credited as 'Gajodhar', he also participated in the third season of Bigg Boss and stayed in the house for two months. 

Srivastava has also featured in Hindi films such as 'Maine Pyar Kiya', 'Baazigar', the remake of 'Bombay to Goa' and 'Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiya'. He is the chairperson of the Film Development Council Uttar Pradesh.