Veteran actor Pradeep Rawat passed away at the age of 74 after prolonged battle with Cancer, on August 4. His funeral took place on Wednesday, August 5 and one spotted his ‘Ghajini’ co-star Aamir Khan at the cremation ground to pay his last respects. Aamir Khan, who worked alongside Rawat in ‘Sarfarosh’, ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Ghajini’, also remembered him with heartfelt words, describing him as a fearless and deeply committed actor. He said Rawat’s portrayal of the titular antagonist in ‘Ghajini’ was instrumental to the film’s success.Aamir told Variety India, “He was extremely dedicated and fearless as an actor. Pradeepji played the title role in ‘Ghajini.’ I think this was one of the most striking screen villains in our cinema. The film wouldn’t have worked without him.”Meanwhile, now Salman Khan has also paid tribute to him with a throwback picture. He shared a picture with the actor and said, “Shared many good moments with you brother… May you rest in peace.”
For those not in the know, Rawat had suggested Aamir over Salman for ‘Ghajini’ remake in Hindi. In a 2024 interview with Siddharth Kannan, Rawat had revealed that he played an important part in convincing Aamir to star in the Hindi remake of ‘Ghajini’.After the Tamil original became a blockbuster, director A.R. Murugadoss was determined to remake it in Hindi and repeatedly sought Rawat’s help in reaching leading Bollywood stars.“Murugadoss kept requesting me to help him make the film in Hindi. He would say, ‘You know Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. Please talk to them.’ I said, ‘Sure, why not?’ When the film became such a huge success, I thought, why not help him? My selfish motive was that I would get to play the role in Hindi as well,” Rawat had said.Although Murugadoss initially had Salman Khan in mind, Rawat believed Aamir would be a more suitable fit for the role.“I felt Aamir Khan would be the right choice because he is calm and always behaves well with people. I have never heard of Aamir Khan misbehaving with anyone.”Rawat also recalled persistently encouraging Aamir to watch the Tamil version, reminding him about it every time they met until the actor finally agreed.“Every time I met him, I would ask only one thing: ‘Have you watched the film?’ If Ghajini was made in Hindi, it was because I persuaded him to watch it. He could not say no to me. After six months, he finally watched the film. After watching the first half, he said, ‘I am doing this film.’”The veteran actor had also fondly remembered how he became part of ‘Lagaan’. According to Rawat, Aamir personally called his residence late one night to offer him a role. His family initially dismissed the call as a prank before ‘Sarfarosh’ writer and creative director Uma Shankar Pathak confirmed that it was indeed Aamir on the phone.When Rawat returned home in the early hours of the morning, his family excitedly informed him that Aamir wanted him in his next project. He eventually portrayed Deva Singh Sodhi, the courageous former Sikh sepoy who becomes a key member of Bhuvan’s cricket team in ‘Lagaan’.Aamir also attended Rawat’s funeral.Pradeep Rawat enjoyed a career spanning more than four decades across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Bhojpuri, Bengali and Nepali cinema. While he began acting in the early 1980s, he became a household name after playing Ashwatthama in B.R. Chopra’s landmark television series ‘Mahabharat’.
