Praveen Kumar Sobti, who was best known for his role ‘Bheem’ in the B R Chopra’s ‘Mahabharat’, dies of heart attack at his residence aged 74. He was an athlete before getting into acting.
(Photo:-twitter)
Athlete-actor Praveen Kumar Sobti dies of heart attack on February 7 night. He was best known for his role ‘Bheem’ which he played in B.R. Chopra’s iconic tv show ‘Mahabharat.’ He dies at his residence in New Delhi aged 74.
“He had a chronic chest infection problem. At night, when he started feeling uneasy, we called the doctor at home. He passed away between 10-10.30 pm following a cardiac arrest,” a family member told PTI.
Before coming into acting, he was an athlete. He represented India as a Discuss thrower as well as Hammer thrower in the various international games such as Olympics, Asian games and Commonwealth games. He won gold medals in the 1966 and 1970 Asian games. In the 1966 Commonwealth games, he won silver medal as well. He also competed in the 1968 and the 1972 Summer Olympics. For his achievements in the sports, he won Arjuna award.
After his 30s, he turned into acting. He debuted in the Jeetendra starrer movie ‘Raksha’ in 1982. He played many roles in the films and TV shows but he found fame in the B R Chopra’s popular TV show ‘Mahabharat‘ started in 1988. Praveen Kumar Sobti played the role of ‘Bheem’ in that show and this role was acclaimed by the country. He was offered this role due to his 6 foot 8 inch height and physique.
He also worked as the Deputy Commandant in the Border Security Force (BSF). The official twitter account of the BSF expressed condolences on his untimely death.
“Director General & All Ranks of BSF condole the untimely demise of Sh Praveen Kumar Sobti, former Deputy Commandant, Arjuna Awardee, two-time Olympian (1968 Mexico Games and 1972 Munich Games) & four-time Asian Games medallist (2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze),” BSF tweeted.
Praveen also played the role of ‘Saboo’ in the TV adaptation of Chacha Chaudhary. He played in many other films such as Ajooba, Ghayal, Aaj ka Arjun, Loha and Amitabh Bachchan starrer Shehenshah.
He also tried his hand in the politics by joining Aam Aadmi Party in 2013. He contested the Delhi Assembly elections from the Wazipur Constituency but lost. In 2014, he joined the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).