Ghajini villain Pradeep Rawat passes away at 74 after battle with cancer

Actor Pradeep Rawat, best known for films like Lagaan and Ghaijini, has passed away at the age of 74. The actor breathed his last on Tuesday evening at around 6 pm while undergoing treatment for cancer.

The actor was initially admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai before being shifted to a cancer hospital in Bhiwandi around 10 days ago for further treatment.

Rawat is survived by his wife and his son, Vikramaditya.

Actor Yashpal Sharma, his co-star in Lagaan, paid a tribute to Rawat via his Instagram handle.

Rawat was a familiar face in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam cinema, with a career over three decades.

Pradeep Rawat’s films

The actor gained popularity after playing the ruthless antagonist in the Tamil film Ghajini (2005). His performance was so well received that he was brought back to play the same role opposite Aamir Khan in the 2008 Hindi remake.

Rawat and Khan had earlier collaborated in Lagaan in 2001.

Rawat, however, gained stardom first for playing Ashwathama, the son of Dronacharya, in BR Chopra’s iconic television series Mahabharat, which aired on Doordarshan in the late 1980s.

Although he had made his film debut with Meri Jung in 1985, it was his role in Mahabharat that brought him widespread recognition.

The actor also featured in films like Sarfarosh, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, Stalin, Veeram, 1: Nenokkadine, Loukyam, Nenu Sailaja, Sarrainodu, Nene Raju Nene Mantri, Aayirathil Iruvar, Market Raja MBBS and Miss Match.

A major milestone in his career came when he featured in SS Rajamouli's Sye (2004), which marked his Telugu debut.