Bollywood Actor Pradeep Rawat Passes Away

Kathmandu: Renowned Bollywood actor Pradeep Rawat has passed away. Indian media outlets confirmed that the senior Indian actor—best known for his iconic villainous role as 'Ghajini Dharmatma' in the Aamir Khan-starrer hit film Ghajini—succumbed to cancer.

Rawat, who had been battling cancer for a long time, passed away on Tuesday evening at the age of 74 while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mumbai. According to his manager, Siddharth R. Tiwari, Rawat had been receiving care at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai for the past month.

He was recently moved to a cancer hospital in Bhiwandi. Rawat is survived by his wife, Kalyani Rawat, and son, Vikramaditya Rawat. Following the news of his demise, actors and fans from the Indian film industry expressed their condolences on social media.

Actor Yashpal Sharma, who worked alongside him in Lagaan, shared his grief on social media, writing, "Heartfelt tributes to our Ghajini Deva, Pradeep Rawat." Actor Gajendra Chauhan also paid his respects, recalling Rawat's memorable portrayal of Ashwatthama in the television series Mahabharat.

Known as a powerful villain in Indian cinema, Rawat acted in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil films. He delivered memorable performances in hit movies such as Sarfarosh, Lagaan, Nayak, and Ghajini. Rawat’s last film was Chhaava, in which he played the role of Yesaji Kank. He had also acted in a Nepali film starring Paul Shah and Bipana Thapa. Audiences will long remember Rawat for his impactful representation of villainous characters in Indian cinema. — ANI