Pradeep Rawat's last rites today: Co-star Yashpal Sharma confirms funeral details

Bollywood has lost one of its most recognisable on-screen villains. Veteran actor Pradeep Rawat, who spent decades terrifying and thrilling audiences with his powerful negative roles, passed away at the age of 74 on Tuesday evening. The actor, celebrated for his work in films like Ghajini, Lagaan and the television epic Mahabharat, succumbed to complications after a long-standing fight with blood cancer took a turn for the worse following a recent relapse.

The final farewell

Rawat is survived by his wife, Kalyani Rawat, and son, Vikramaditya. News of the funeral arrangements was shared by his Lagaan co-star Yashpal Sharma on Instagram, who confirmed that the actor's antim darshan and last rites would take place on Wednesday, August 5, giving fans, colleagues and well-wishers a chance to pay their final respects.

Cause of his death

The actor's death was confirmed to HT by his manager, Siddharth Tiwari, who revealed that Rawat had been battling blood cancer for close to five years. He had reportedly overcome the illness once before, around four years ago, only for it to return roughly six weeks prior to his death. According to Tiwari, the actor passed away on August 4, sometime between 6 and 6:30 pm. He explained that although Rawat had beaten cancer once before, the disease relapsed about a month and a half ago, leading to his hospitalisation for the past month. His condition deteriorated suddenly when his platelet count dropped sharply, and he was unable to recover from there.

Tributes pour in from the industry

Actor Yashpal Sharma, who shared screen space with Rawat in the 2001 sports drama Lagaan, was among the first from the industry to publicly mourn his co-star, remembering him fondly on Instagram as the unforgettable Ghajini and as "Deva" from Lagaan, while wishing him peace.

The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) also issued a statement mourning his passing, expressing deep sadness over the loss of the veteran actor. The association highlighted his commanding screen presence and his ability to bring to life some of Bollywood's most unforgettable villainous characters, often alongside the industry's biggest comedians and stars, adding that his contribution to Indian cinema would continue to be remembered by generations of film lovers.

A four-decade journey across the screen

Born on January 21, 1952, in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Pradeep Rawat built an acting career that spanned more than four decades, working not just in Hindi cinema but across the Telugu, Tamil and other regional film industries as well.

For many television audiences, he first became a household name playing Ashwatthama in B.R. Chopra's iconic mythological series Mahabharat, which aired in 1988 — a role that remains etched in the memories of an entire generation of viewers.

He went on to carve a niche for himself in Bollywood through a string of memorable supporting and antagonist roles. Rawat played Sultan in Aamir Khan's Sarfarosh (1999), took on the role of the fierce fast bowler Deva Singh Sodhi in the Oscar-nominated Lagaan (2001), and won widespread acclaim for his portrayal of the menacing Ghajini Dharmatma — a character he first essayed in the 2005 Tamil original before reprising it in the 2008 Hindi remake starring Aamir Khan.

As tributes continue to pour in from across the film industry, Pradeep Rawat leaves behind a legacy defined by some of Indian cinema's most enduring and feared villains, roles that shaped how generations of moviegoers experienced the genre.