Veteran actor Pradeep Rawat, best known for his powerful performance as the villain in Ghajini, has died at the age of 74.
According to sources quoted by Bollywood media, the actor had been admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. The exact cause of his death has not yet been officially confirmed.
Actor Yashpal Sharma paid tribute to Rawat through a post on Instagram.
With a career spanning more than three decades, Pradeep Rawat was a familiar face in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam cinema.
He gained widespread recognition for playing the ruthless antagonist in the 2005 Tamil film Ghajini. His performance received such appreciation that he was cast in the same role opposite Aamir Khan in the 2008 Hindi remake.
Rawat had earlier worked with Aamir Khan in the Oscar-nominated film Lagaan in 2001.
Many television viewers first recognised him through B.R. Chopra’s iconic series Mahabharat, in which he portrayed Ashwatthama, the son of Dronacharya.
Although Rawat made his film debut with Meri Jung in 1985, his role in Mahabharat brought him nationwide popularity.
A major turning point in his career came with S.S. Rajamouli’s Sye in 2004, which marked his debut in Telugu cinema. His portrayal of the villain Bikshu Yadav became highly popular and established him as a prominent antagonist in South Indian films.
His notable films include 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.
Pradeep Rawat leaves behind a memorable body of work across television and several Indian film industries.
