Comedian Raju Srivastava gains consciousness after 15 days

NEW DELHI: Comedian Raju Srivastava, who has been under hospitalization for the past 15 days after suffering a cardiac arrest, gained consciousness on Thursday.

"Raju Srivastava gained consciousness today after 15 days. He is being monitored by doctors at AIIMS Delhi," said Garvit Narang, personal secretary of the actor.

Raju Srivastava had been admitted to a Delhi hospital on August 10 after he suffered a heart attack. He was experiencing chest pain and collapsed while working out at the gym. Raju's personal secretary in a statement stated, "Raju's health condition is improving."

The 58-year-old was running on the treadmill in a gym when he complained of chest pain. He underwent an angioplasty the same day. Earlier, Raju's younger brother shared a video message to reveal details about his brother's health. In the video, he expressed gratitude towards the fans for their prayers for the well-being of the comedian's health and refuted farcical rumours about Raju's health. Deepu Srivastava also called Raju a fighter in a video message.

"He is a fighter and will soon come back winning the battle and will entertain everyone with his comedy." He has been active in the entertainment industry since late 1980s, received recognition after participating in the first season of stand-up comedy show "The Great Indian Laughter Challenge" in 2005. Then he went on to climb the ladder of success by sharing big screen with renowned Bollywood stars. The stand-up comedian turned politician and actor is very popular for his stage character 'Gajodhar Bhaiya'.