Receiving the news of comedian Raju Srivastava's death with a lot of bitterness today, stand-up artiste Rohan Joshi responded to Atul Khatri’s tribute by trashing the late performer who was also his senior by at least a generation. Seeing that Khatri had written the passing had left a void in the entertainment industry while fans and celebrities continue to mourn his loss, Joshi wrote, "We haven't lost a thing…"
Atul had posted an image of Raju Srivastava on Instagram: “RIP Rajubhai. You were such an inspiration to so many. Whenever you went on stage you lit it up. Your presence was such that when people just saw you there was an automatic smile on their faces. You will be truly missed. A big loss for the Indian Stand-up Comedy scene."
To this, Rohan Joshi responded with a comment: “We haven't lost a thing. Whether it was Karma whether it was the roast or any coming in the news. Raju Srivastava took every opportunity he ever got to shit on new comics, especially after the new wave of stand up started. He went on every fkall news channel every time he was invited to go shit on an upcoming art form and call it offensive just because he couldn't understand it and new stars were rising. He might have told a few good jokes but he understood nothing about the spirit of comedy or defending someone's right to say something even if you don't agree. F^^k him and good…"
Social media users slammed Rohan Joshi for the comment, especially the part on "karma". While Joshi deleted the comment soon, clarifying that he had taken it down after the backlash, there was no apology from his end. “Yehi soch kar delete kiya kyuki after a minute of anger I realised today is not about my personal feelings. Sorry if it hurt and thanks for the perspective,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Rohan Joshi’s "good riddance" comment annoyed actor Sikandar Kher. He wrote on his Instagram Stories, "There are always people that will not be the ideal way we think they should be. But, that's life and we as humans and humanity should deal with it for our own health and happiness (in my opinion). But, after reading this about someone who's passed away too soon, I am just sad to see that a young man who might be funny and witty, probably lacks a huge dose of humanity. #unfortunate #disheartening and very very very #uncool. Ps: took a lot for me to be this polite.”
Raju Srivastava died after more than 40 days of hospitalisation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. According to the late artiste's nephew Kushal Srivastava, he died due to a second heart attack. He had been hospitalised after suffering from the first attack inside a hotel in Delhi on 10 August.
