Actor and athlete Praveen Kumar Sobti, who was popularly known for essaying the role of Bheem in the B R Chopra-directed TV show Mahabharat, died in New Delhi on Monday evening at the age of 74. He suffered a heart attack and died at home in Delhi.
Praveen was in the Border Security Force (BSF) before achieving sporting glory with medals at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and even participated in the Olympics. The actor was a four-time Asian Games medallist and represented India in 1968, Mexico and 1972 Munich Olympics. He was also honoured with the Arjuna award.
The official BSF Twitter handle posted a condolence message after Mr Sobti’s death. They shared some of his old images of sporting and acting careers and captioned it, “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).”
They further added, “The iconic role of ‘Bheem’ essayed by Sh Praveen Kumar Sobti in B R Chopra’s Mahabharat will continue to bring back memories of the ‘gentle giant’. #Mahabharat #Bheem #PraveenKumarSobti #RIP.
Praveen had a successful acting career. He had worked on about 30 movies in his career and played many memorable roles. His debut film was the 1981 movie Raksha; then, he became a household name with his iconic character Bheem in Mahabharat.
In Amitabh Bacchan’s cult classic Shehenshah, Praveen essayed the role of Mukhtar Singh. It was to his character to which famous dialogue was said, “Rishtey mein to hum tumhare baap lagte hain, naam hai Shahenshah” by Amitabh. He also appeared in Ajooba, Aaj Ka Arjun, Ghayal and several other films.
Praveen Kumar Sobti had also contested the Delhi Assembly elections on Aam Aadmi Party ticket in 2013. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
Image Credit: Twitter \ BSF.
