'Mahabharat' fame Praveen Kumar Sobti passes away at 74

Actor-athlete Praveen Kumar Sobti, best known for playing Bheem in the TV series 'Mahabharat' and for winning an Asian Games gold medal, died following a cardiac arrest in the late evening of February 7. He was 74.

The actor breathed his last at his Ashok Vihar residence in Delhi.

"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 pm to 10: 30 pm following a cardiac arrest," said a relative of Praveen.

Sobti was 20 when he joined the Border Security Force (BSF), where he was first noticed for his athletic skills.

After that, he represented the country across various athletic events in hammer and discus throw and even won four medals at the Asian Games, including two gold medals in 1966 and 1970.

He also won a silver medal in the hammer throw during the 1966 Commonwealth Games.

The athlete gained further popularity after he began his acting career and was featured as Bheem in BR Chopra's classic 'Mahabharat' in 1988.

As an actor, Sobti featured in supporting parts in close to 50 movies like 'Yudh', 'Adhikar', 'Hukumat', 'Shahenshah', 'Ghayal' and 'Aaj Ka Arjun'.

He entered politics in 2013 when he joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to contest the Delhi assembly elections. However, Sobti lost to BJP's Mahender Nagpal. After that, he joined the BJP in 2014.

He is survived by his wife, daughter, two younger brothers and a sister.

On 'Twitter', the official 'Twitter' handle of the BSF paid a tribute to Sobti.

"Director-General and all ranks of BSF condole the untimely demise of Praveen Kumar Sobti, former Deputy Commandant, Arjuna Awardee, two-time Olympian (1968 Mexico Games and 1972 Munich Games) and four-time Asian Games medallist (two gold, one silver and one bronze)," read the tweet.