MUMBAI: Actor Praveen Kumar Sobti passes away at the age of 74 on Monday 7 February following a heart attack.
Praveen was known widely for his performance in the iconic television series Mahabharata directed by BR Chopra in collaboration with Ravi Chopra. The actor rose to fame after playing the role of Bheem in the TV series.
The athlete turned actor Praveen took his last breath on Monday night at his residence in Delhi.
According to reports, Praveen was feeling uneasy during night hours and then he called the doctor at his home. At around 10:30 pm the actor passes away due to sudden cardiac arrest.
He was living with his family members including his wife, a daughter, 2 younger brothers and one sister.
As per sources, the cremation ceremony will take place today on Tuesday 8 February at the crematorium ground in Punjabi Bagh of west Delhi.
Before entering into the world of acting, Praveen had a long career in sports as an athlete till his 30s. He is known to have brought medals for the country and represented India in different national and international tournaments.
He had participated in Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics. Praveen had started his career in sports as a discus thrower and a hammer thrower and then continued to perform in various events.
In the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games, he had bagged gold medals in the discus throw and at the 1966 Commonwealth Games, he won the silver medal by representing India.
Praveen was honoured with the Arjuna Award for his contribution and achievements in the field of sports. He was also appointed as the DC (Deputy Commandant) in BSF (Border Security Force) at the age of 20.
After retiring from sports during his 30s, Praveen joined acting and made his debut by playing a negative role in the 1982 film Raksha directed by Ravikant Nagaich starring Jeetendra.
He appeared in numerous hit films such as Shahenshah, Ajooba and Loha in many films he was seen as a villain.
Praveen gained huge recognition after he appeared on TV in 1988 as cast as Bheem which led him to become the household name in India.
Praveen was also a politician as he was a member of BJP but earlier in 2013 he joined the Aam Aadmi Party and contested the Delhi Legislative Assembly elections in the same year but lost with less number of votes.
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