- Pradeep Rawat died at 74 after battling cancer, passing away Tuesday evening
- He began his career as a banker before pursuing acting full-time
- Rawat's acting debut was as Ashwatthama in BR Chopra's Mahabharat (1988-1990)
Actor Pradeep Rawat, best known for playing the feared villain in Ghajini, died on Tuesday evening at around 6 pm after battling cancer. He was 74. While many remember him for his powerful screen presence, not everyone knows that acting was actually his second career.
Before entering films and television, Pradeep Rawat worked as a banker. According to Dainik Bhaskar, he had a banking job before deciding to pursue acting full-time.
Pradeep began his acting journey with BR Chopra's iconic television series Mahabharat, where he played Ashwatthama. The show, which aired between 1988 and 1990, is still considered one of India's most loved mythological shows and introduced several actors to audiences across the country.
From there, Pradeep Rawat slowly built a career that lasted for more than three decades.
His biggest breakthrough came in Tamil cinema with Ghajini (2005), where he played the ruthless villain. The performance became so popular that he reprised the same role opposite Aamir Khan in the 2008 Hindi remake. Interestingly, Pradeep had already shared screen space with Aamir years earlier in Lagaan (2001).
A major turning point in his career also came with S.S. Rajamouli's Sye (2004), which marked his Telugu debut. He later became a familiar face in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films.
Over the years, he appeared in films including 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 was first admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai before being shifted to a cancer hospital in Bhiwandi around 10 days ago for further treatment. He died on Tuesday evening. He is survived by his wife and son.