Pradeep Rawat aka Ghajini, Lagaan's Deva passes away at 74, manager reveals the reason; Yashpal Sharma pays tribute

Veteran actor Pradeep Rawat, who delivered memorable performances in films such as Lagaan and Ghajini, has passed away at the age of 74. The news of his demise was shared by actor Yashpal Sharma, who paid tribute to his longtime colleague in an emotional post on Instagram on Tuesday.When HT City reaches out, Pradeep's manager Siddharth Tiwari confirms to us, “He was suffering from cancer, and it had relapsed. He has died a few hours back.” He was 74, and is survived by his wife and son Vikramaditya. We learn that he had been admitted to the hospital for over a month now. Yashpal, meanwhile offered his condolences to Rawat's family and remembered him in his post. He wrote, “Pradeep Rawat Our Gajini Deva of Lagaan RIP”Rawat enjoyed a career spanning more than four decades and worked across film industries such as Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Nepali, among others. He first rose to fame on television by playing Ashwatthama in B.R. Chopra's iconic show Mahabharat before shifting to films, where he established himself as a popular character actor.He became particularly known for playing the role of powerful antagonists. Besides Lagaan and Ghajini, his filmography included performances in Sye, Rowdy Rathore and several Telugu hits. His screen presence and intense performances made him a favourite choice for negative roles across industries.