When someone forwarded me Rohan Joshi’s comments on the much-missed Raju Srivastava my immediate reaction to this ‘fuck him good riddance’ sendoff was, who the hell is Rohan Joshi?
Then I remembered. Of course! Anyone who belongs to an outfit that wants to be known as All India Bakchod, will speak with unalloyed malicious intent about a comic virtuoso who didn’t make money out of insulting people communities and religion.
To dig into the sewer-level obituary that Rohan Joshi wrote for dear Raju: “We haven’t lost a thing. Whether it was Kamra whether it was roast or any comic in the news, Raju Srivastav took every opportunity he ever got to shit on newer comics, especially after the new wave of stand-up started. He went on every fucking all news channel every time he was invited to go shit on an upcoming arty 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. Fuck him and good riddance .”
It is interesting to note the scatological allusions that litter this piece of potty writing. The man obviously has a lot of excreta in his brain. That explains the very bitter cruel toxic words that he uses against Raju who needless to say, is no more with us to defend himself against this vile assault.
I doubt Raju would have hit back. He was far too ahead of these bickering attention-getting toddlers of Comicstaan.
And what does Joshi mean by the “upcoming arty form” that Raju allegedly sneered at? Are we talking about the ‘Bakchod’ brand of burlesque that passes off as humour? I remember how encouraging Raju was when he spoke to me about upcoming comic talent in the country. And I remember how many struggling comic talents he helped because as he said, “I see my own days of struggle in them.”
What exactly is the core-grouse in this garbage that Joshi spews against a beloved laughter provider? That Raju didn’t approve of standup comedians who thought insulting everything held precious and scared by Indians to be funny?
Yes, Raju was against renegade humour. He hated humour that belittled individuals and organizations. I remember how livid he was when stand-up comic Bharati Singh and her husband were arrested for drugs possession.
Raju found it hard to believe that Bharati had confessed to consuming banned substance. “She is such a simple sweet goodhearted girl, so focused on her work, why does she need drugs to be effective?
After he spoke out against Bharati, Raju was apparently blacklisted on The Kapil Sharma Show. But Raju was unfazed. “Why should they be angry with me? Maine kya ghalat kiya hai? When Sanjay Dutt confessed to drug consumption did the film industry defend him? Maine toh Bharati ki bhalai ke liye kaha (I spoke out for Bharati’s good).” Raju told me.
To Rohan Joshi’s crass sendoff I say, I hope he writes one even more abusive on me. It is only when you have shaken the scum of the earth that your life is worth living.
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.
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