Mahabharat's Bheem, Actor Praveen Kumar Sobti No More, Passes Away At 74

Actor Praveen Kumar Sobti, who is best known for playing the role of Bheem in BR Chopra's Mahabharat has passed away. The actor was 74. Praveen Kumar Sobti's daughter, Nikunika in an interview with Indianexpress said, “He passed away yesterday around 9.30 pm. He suffered a heart attack. He died at home in Delhi.” Reportedly, he wasn't keeping well for a long time.

A relative of Praveen Kumar Sobti told PTI, "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." He breathed his last at his Ashok Vihar, Delhi residence.

Praveen Kumar Sobti: A Sports Star

Many don't know that before making it to the world of showbiz, Praveen Kumar Sobti was into athletics.When he was 20, Praveen Kumar Sobti joined the Border Security Force (BSF) where his athletic skills were noticed. In the year the 1960s and 1970s, he was a star athlete. He was known for his game in Indian hammer and Discus Throw. He played the two sports for many years and won multiple awards.

Praveen Kumar Sobti won gold medals in Discus Throw in the year 1966. In the year 1970, he participated in the Asian Games and made a record of 56.76 metres. In the year 1966, he also won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, Kingston. He was also a silver medalist in the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran.

In the year 1968, Praveen Kumar Sobti competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics. He also competed in Summer Olympics 1972.

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Praveen Kumar Sobti's Acting Career

Praveen Kumar Sobti stepped into the world of entertainment with the movie Raksha which was a James Bond style Indian movie that also starred Jeetendra. He played a henchman Gorilla in the movie.

He, however, got fame with the show Mahabharat where he played the role of Bheem. He became a household name with the show. Later, he was seen playing the role of Saaboo in Chacha Chaudhary which was again a popular television series.

Praveen Kumar Sobti got multiple offers after these two shows. He was seen in a couple of Hindi and regional films. He slowly started to shift from his acting career to Politics.He was best known for films like Shahenshah, Hukumat, Adhikar, Yudh, Ghayal, Aaj Ka Arjun among others.

Praveen Kumar Sobti's Political Journey

In the year 2013, Praveen Kumar Sobti joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He contested the Delhi assembly elections from the Wazirpur constituency but lost.He lost to BJP's Mahender Nagpal. In the year 2014, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Praveen Kumar Sobti was a household name. He will be dearly missed by the entire nation.Praveen Kumar Sobti is survived by his wife, daughter, sister and two younger brothers.

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