Pradeep Rawat passes away at 74 after battle with blood cancer

Actor Pradeep Rawat (74), who essayed many roles as villain in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil films, passed away on Tuesday after a long illness. Rawat, who was undergoing treatment for blood cancer in a Bhiwandi hospital, breathed his last. It may be recalled that Rawat had earlier recovered from blood cancer but his condition deteriorated suddenly when the disease recurred.

Pradeep Rawat was one of the finest actors in Indian cinema who had donned many a negative role with style and had created a huge impression with his powerful performances. He would be fondly remembered for his role as Bikshu Yadav in Sye, while Chatrapathy, Bhadra, Desamuduru, Naayak, Nenu Sailaja, Ghajini (Tamil and Hindi), Lagaan and Sarfarosh were some of his other important roles. His last film was Gaayapadda Simham.

Prior to becoming a star in the film industry, he had played Ashwatthama, the son of Dronacharya, in the doyen B.R.Chopra’s TV serial ‘Mahabharat,’ which made him a household name.

The actor’s demise has created a profound impact on the film industry as well as his fans. His colleagues and fans have condoled his death, calling him one of the biggest character actors and memorable villains of Indian cinema.