Actor Praveen Kumar Sobti died on Monday night at his New Delhi residence, aged 74. The actor, who had a chronic chest infection, succumbed to cardiac arrest.
Aside from his acting career, he was also an athlete (hammer and discus thrower), politician, and a Deputy Commandant with the Border Security Force. The Punjab-born Sobti was an Arjuna Awardee, two-time Olympian, and four-time Asian Games medallist.
While he is best known for playing Bheem, one of the Pandavas, in BR Chopra’s television series Mahabharat, the Tamil audience remembers him as another Bheem – the popular bodyguard character from his only Tamil film, the Kamal Haasan-starrer Michael Madana Kama Rajan (1990). The comedy drama, which features Haasan in four roles, was an overwhelming critical and commercial success. The line, “Bheem Boy, Bheem Boy,” uttered by one of Haasan’s characters in a hilarious sequence is still recounted by fans fondly.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, director Singeetam Srinivasa Rao reminisces about working with Sobti on Michael Madana Kama Rajan. Calling Sobti a very famous and talented person, and noting that he had already starred as Bheem in Mahabharat and represented India in sports as well, Rao says that it was very interesting to rope him in for a comedy film.
“Our connection was quite a strange thing! A person of that stature will not agree for a comedy character. However, not only did he happily agree to do it, but he also enjoyed every bit of it! Throughout the shooting, he had fun with the role. He was such a wonderful person,” Rao tells us.
Asked if Sobti being an athlete had anything to do with him being cast for the role, Rao says, “We thought a person like Kamal Haasan should be accompanied by an escort who was tall and hefty. Instead of casting just anyone, choosing this artist, who had played Bheema in Mahabharat, to accompany the hero was in itself a very interesting concept, we thought. So, we chose him. The important thing to note was not us booking him, but the fact that he accepted the role.”
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The filmmaker mentions that the Bheem Boy character became popular among children too. “Children also loved him and found him endearing. That was the biggest tribute to him. All the children used to call him Bheem Boy, Bheem Boy. It is very sad that we have lost such an endearing personality.”
Rao says it was a wonderful experience working with Sobti, and adds, “He also told us – I don’t know how far it is true – that he had a problem every time he had to travel by flight and would have to book two tickets because one seat could not accommodate him!”
Sobti is survived by his wife, daughter, two brothers, and a sister.