Actor Pradeep Rawat died at the age of 74 on August 4 after a cancer relapse. The actor, notable for playing villainous roles, first became a household name when he played Ashwatthama in BR Chopra’s TV show Mahabharat. But it was his debut in an SS Rajamouli film in the early 2000s that changed his career trajectory.
The hello as Bikshu Yadav
After a career in Hindi cinema since the 1980s, Pradeep ventured into Telugu cinema with Rajamouli’s Nithiin and Genelia D’Souza-starrer Sye in 2004. As the menacing septum-ring-wearing villain who goes up against a bunch of college students, Bikshu Yadav remains ingrained in the minds of many as one of the best antagonists in Tollywood.
The film was a springboard for Pradeep, who soon starred in massively popular Telugu films such as Prabhas’ Chhatrapati, Chiranjeevi’s Stalin, and Allu Arjun’s Desamuduru. And who can forget his role in the 2005 Tamil hit Ghajini with Suriya, which was also dubbed in Telugu. While he remained popular as a villain, his roles seemed to undergo a redemption arc over the years.
The goodbye as Bikshu Das
Pradeep’s final on-screen appearance was in May this year in Kasyap Sreenivas’s Gaayapadda Simham, starring Tharun Bhascker and Faria Abdullah. In an apparent homage to his most famous role in Tollywood, he was named Bikshu Das. There was no septum ring this time around, but he was still dressed in a traditional vest, dhoti and jewellery, much like his first film.
If his first on-screen appearance as Bikshu was to terrorise students, his final was to help, and most importantly, provide comic relief. He played a black magic practitioner, but there was more to his role than just that. He also played a father who wanted his son, Bhairav Das, played by Sree Vishnu, to be proud of their family’s legacy.
Pradeep Rawat’s death
Pradeep was hospitalised for over a month before his death on Tuesday. He is survived by his wife, Kalyani, and son, Vikramaditya. His manager Siddharth Tiwari confirmed on Tuesday to HT City, “He was suffering from cancer, and it had relapsed. He died a few hours ago.” Actor Yashpal Sharma shared the news of his passing on social media, writing, “Pradeep Rawat Our Gajini Deva of Lagaan RIP.” His last rites are taking place on Wednesday.
In Hindi, Pradeep last starred in the 2025 film Chhaava, alongside Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, and Akshaye Khanna. In Tamil, he was last seen in the 2023 film DD Returns. The 2019 film Oru Kadathu Naadan Kadha was his last film in Malayalam, and the 2022 film Champion in Kannada.