Veteran actor Pradeep Rawat, renowned for portraying some of Indian cinema’s most memorable villains, has died at the age of 74 after a long battle with cancer. His manager Siddharth Tiwari has confirmed the news with ETimes and said, “He passed away today, August 4 somewhere between 6 to 6 30 pm. He survived cancer four years back, but again, since the last one and a half months, it was a relapse of cancer. So, he was hospitalised since one month. That’s how it is. All of a sudden, his platelets went down and from there, he just couldn’t recover.”His funeral will take place on Wednesday evening and his mortal remains will be kept at his home in Goregaon, Mumbai. Rawat is survived by his wife, Kalyani Rawat, and his 18-year-old son, Vikramaditya.His co-star Yashpal shared this news and wrote, “Pradeep Rawat, our Ghajini, Deva of Lagaan, RIP” As soon as this news was shared by Yashpal Sharma, the internet was heartbroken. A user said, “Om Shanti 🙏 our Ghajini and Ashwathama” Another one wrote, “Sadar naman 🙏 bhagwan apne charno mai jagah de.”Over a career spanning several decades and multiple languages, Rawat built a reputation as one of Indian cinema’s most formidable screen antagonists. His first major breakthrough came on television when he portrayed Ashwatthama in BR Chopra’s iconic 1988 series Mahabharat.He later became synonymous with the menacing character of Ghajini Dharmatma, the ruthless crime lord he played in the original Tamil *Ghajini* and reprised in its blockbuster 2008 Hindi adaptation. The performance remains one of the defining villainous portrayals in contemporary Indian cinema.Rawat also proved his versatility with roles beyond negative characters. In Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Lagaan’ (2001), he played Deva, the fiery and fiercely loyal Sikh sepoy, earning appreciation for a performance that stood apart from his villainous image.His contribution to South Indian cinema was equally significant. Whether playing intimidating antagonists or emotionally layered supporting roles, Pradeep Rawat left an indelible mark across Hindi and South Indian cinema.
