Veteran Actor Pradeep Rawat Dies After Cancer Battle

Pradeep Rawat, a respected name in Indian cinema, succumbed to an illness on August 4 at the age of 74. The 74‑year‑old actor, whose career covered Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam movies, was reportedly fighting cancer and had been hospitalized prior to his death. Rawat's family includes his wife and son, Vikramaditya. The news was confirmed by his close friend Yashpal Sharma, who posted an emotional message on social media honoring Rawat as "Gajani Deva" from *Lagaan*. Rawat began his film journey in 1985 with *Meri Jung*, portraying a police inspector. He later achieved fame as Ashwatthama in the iconic TV series *Mahabharat*. Highlights of his Hindi filmography feature *Samundar* (1986), *Agneepath* (1990), *Sarfarosh* (1999) (as the gangster Sultan), and *Lagaan* (2001) where he played a village cricketer. His later work comprised titles like *The Hero: Love Story of a Spy*, *Stalin*, *Viram*, *Miss Match* and various South Indian productions.