Pradeep Singh Rawat was born on January 21, 1952 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. In a career spanning 3 decades, he has been a part of several Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films.

Hailing from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Rawat's journey was far from smooth. After facing a string of rejections, his imposing physique caught the attention of veteran filmmaker BR Chopra. This led to his casting as Ashwatthama in the iconic TV series Mahabharat.

Rawat’s filmography goes back several decades as he debuted in 1985 with Aitbaar, helmed by late Mukul Anand and also starring Raj Babbar and Dimple Kapadia.

He rose to fame with portrayal of Bhikshu Yadav in the Telugu blockbuster Sye, which became a cultural moment in South India.

It transformed him overnight into one of the most sought-after villains in the industry. Blockbusters quickly followed - Bhadra, Andarivadu, Chatrapati, and Lakshmi, each cementing his status further.

In Tamil cinema, he acted in the film Ghajini (2005), where he appeared in a double role as villain. He reprised his role in the Hindi remake and attained stardom here.

Pradeep has worked with Salman Khan in films like Tiger Zinda Hai, Baaghi: A Rebel for Love, and others. Earlier, Salman was offered Ghajini. However, Pradeep's revelation of him being a tough actor things did not work out.

Despite the momentum, Rawat’s Bollywood career unfolded unevenly. He appeared in major films like Agneepath, Baaghi, Koyla, Major Saab, and Sarfarosh, but strong, central roles remained elusive.

Pradeep Rawat is survived by his wife, Kalyani Rawat, and his son, Vikramaditya (also known as Vikram).

On the big screen, Rawat was last seen in Telugu comedy drama Gaayapadda Simham and Nepalese feature Aa Bata Aama, both of which released earlier this year.