Mahabharat's Bheem, actor Praveen Kumar Sobti passes away at 74

New Delhi, Feb 08: Actor Praveen Kumar Sobti, who was popular for playing the role of Bheem in BR Chopra's mythological show, Mahabharat has passed away aged 74.

Praveen was known for his huge build and played the role of henchman, goon and bodyguard in many Bollywood movies. The 6'6'' tall actor and sportsman hailed from Punjab.

.As a 20 year old he joined then newly raised Border Security Force from where he attracted the attention of his officers through his fine athletic skills and went to represent India at various athletic events in "Discus throw".

As an athlete he won four medals at the Asian Games, including two gold medals, won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games and competed in two Olympics.

As an actor, he starred in more than 50 Hindi films and played the famous character of "Bheem" in B.R. Chopra's television series Mahabharat that started in 1988.

Praveen Kumar earned international acclaim when he played the role "Bheem" in B R Chopra's popular mythological tele serial Mahabharata, making him a household name. He also played the role of "Saaboo" in Chacha Chaudhary (the T.V. series) for a large number of episodes .

After the Mahabharata serial, Praveen Kumar got many acting roles in Hindi and regional films, though he is cutting down on his acting career, in able to launch his political career in Haryana and Delhi.

Praveen Kumar was the actor to take the first blow of one of the most successful and famous punch dialogues of superstar Amitabh Bachchan, "Rishte Mein to Hum Tumhare Baap Hote hain, naam hai Shahenshah!" in Tinnu Anand's blockbuster Shahenshah.

Praveen Kumar played the semi-comedic role of the legendary "Mukhtar Singh", a drug dealer who later becomes a dairy owner, upon being beaten up by Shahenshah.

As a politician he contested the 2013 Delhi Legislative elections on an Aam Aadmi Party ticket, but lost. Subsequently, in 2014, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.