Praveen Kumar Sobti, aka Mahabharat's Bheema, passes away at 74

New Delhi | Jagran Entertainment Desk: Actor Praveen Kumar Sobti, who essayed the role of Bheem in BR Chopra's mythological show Mahabharat has passed away. He was 74 when he breathed his last. Hailing from Punjab, he made his debut in Hindi cinema with the film Raksha, a James Bond-style Indian movie, starring Jeetendra Kapoor. He worked in around 30 movies before making his big in Mahabharat, and as we say, the rest is history.

Praveen Kumar went on to earn international acclaim for his portrayal as Bheem. Apart from Mahabharat, she also essayed the role of 'Saaboo' in the famous TV series Chacha Chaudhary. He also starred in several Hindi and regional films, but he left his acting career and entered politics. In Bollywood, his most memorable role was as Mukhtaar Singh in Amitabh Bachchan’s cult classic movie Shahenshah. Some of his films include Karishma Kudrat Kaa, Yudh, Zabardast, Singhasan, Khudgarz, Loha, Mohabbat Ke Dushman, Ilaaka and others. His last film was ‘Mahabharat Aur Barbarik,’ which was released in 2013. In the film, he essayed the character of Bhima here as well.

However, not many know that before entering the showbiz, Praveen was a hammer and discus throw athlete. Also, he is a four-time Asian Games medalist (2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze), he represented India in two Olympic Games--1968 Mexico Games and 1972 Munich Games. An Arjuna Awardee has served as a Deputy Commandant in the Border Security Force (BSF).

In 2013, Praveen Kumar Sobti joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and contested the Delhi assemble elections from the Wazipur constituency. However, he lost, and the very next year he joined Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).