Praveen Kumar Sobti

Praveen Kumar Sobti (born 6 December 1947)[1] is an Indian hammer and discus thrower, film actor, and politician. As an athlete he won four medals at the Asian Games, including two gold medals, won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games and competed in two Olympics. As an actor, he starred in more than 50 Hindi films and played the famous character of "Bheem" in B.R. Chopra's television series Mahabharat that started in 1988. As a politician he contested the 2013 Delhi Legislative elections on an Aam Aadmi Party ticket, but lost. Subsequently, in 2014, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Praveen Kumar

Kumar at the 1974 Asian Games
Personal information
Birth name	Praveen Kumar Sobti
Born	Sarhali Kalan, Punjab, India
Height	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)
Weight	123 kg (271 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Discus throw, Hammer throw
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	DT – 56.74 m (1973) HT – 65.76 m (1969)[1]
Medal record Representing  India Asian Games 1966 Bangkok Discus throw 1966 Bangkok Hammer throw 1970 Bangkok Discus throw 1974 Tehran Discus throw Commonwealth Games 1966 Kingston Hammer throw

Sports

Kumar (left) at the 1974 Asian Games

Kumar was a star of Indian athletics in the 1960s and the 1970s.[2] He dominated the Indian hammer and discus throws for several years. He won gold medals in the discus throw at the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games, holding the Asian Games record of 56.76 metres. He was a silver medalist in the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston and in the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran. He competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.[1]

Acting

Praveen Kumar's debut film was Raksha, a James Bond style Indian movie starring Jeetendra with him playing a large henchman Gorilla inspired by Jaws of The Spy Who Loved Me. He did similar role of large henchman Justin fighting against Jeetendra in Meri Awaz Suno.

Praveen Kumar earned international acclaim when he played the role "Bheem"[3] in B R Chopra's popular historical tele serial Mahabharata, making him a household name.[4] Praveen Kumar also played the role of "Saaboo" in Chacha Chaudhary (the T.V. series) for a large number of episodes . After the Mahabharata serial, Praveen Kumar got many acting roles in Hindi and regional films, though he is cutting down on his acting career, in able to launch his political career in Haryana and Delhi.[5][6]

Praveen Kumar was the actor to take the first blow of one of the most successful and famous punch dialogues of superstar Amitabh Bachchan, "Rishte Mein to Hum Tumhare Baap Hote hain, naam hai Shahenshah!" in Tinnu Anand's blockbuster Shahenshah. Praveen Kumar played the semi-comedic role of the legendary "Mukhtar Singh", a drug dealer who later becomes a dairy owner, upon being beaten up by Shahenshah.

Politics

In 2013 Kumar joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).[7] He contested the Delhi assembly elections from the Wazirpur constituency on an AAP ticket, but lost. The next year, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).[8]

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1981	Raksha	Gorilla
	Meri Aawaz Suno	Justin
1982	Ghazab	Henchman
1983	Humse Na Jeeta Koi	Smuggler Lobo
	Hum Se Hai Zamana	Killer
1984	Lorie	Goon
	Hum Hain Lajawab	Henchman
	Jagir	Django D'costa
1985	Karishma Kudrat Kaa	Zorawar
	Yudh	Xaca
	Zabardast	Goon
	Aakhir Kyon?	Goon
	Maha Shaktimaan	Goon
1986	Singhasan	Kaal Bhairav
	Manav Hatya
	Chambal Ka Baadshah	Daaku
	Adhikar	Goon
	Avinash	Street Goon
	Raat Ke Baad	Henchman
1987	Naam O Nishan	Raaka
	Khudgarz	Giant at Sports Club
	Loha	Henchman	Shera's Man
	Hukumat	Goon
	Dak Bangla	Goon
	Diljalaa	Security Guard of girls hostel
	Tera Karam Mera Dharam	Goon
1988	Shahenshah	Mukhtaar Singh	JK's Man
	Mohabbat Ke Dushman	Contract Killer
	Commando	Henchman
	Maalamaal	Jallad Singh
	Agnee	Chief of the natives
	Bees Saal Baad	Goon
	Pyaar Mohabbat	Street Goon
	Dukh-Dard	Henchman
	Mahabharat	Bhima	TV Series
1989	Santosh	Kundan's Henchman
	Mitti Aur Sona	Shingho
	Ilaaka	Prisoner – Nagar's Henchman
	Shehzaade	Street Gambler
	Meri Zabaan	Wrestler
	Elaan-E-Jung	Henchman	Kala Naag's Man
	Lahu Ki Awaz	Killer
1990	Atishbaz	Kewal & Shamsher's Goon
	Ghayal	Bheem Ji	Guest Role
	Aaj Ka Arjun	Henchman	Thakur's Man
	Kali Ganga	Hukumchand's Henchman
	Sher Dil	Henchman	Ranjeet's Man
	Naaka Bandi	Henchman
	Aag aur Angaray	Street Goon
	Michael Madana Kama Rajan	Bheem	Tamil Film
1991	Shankara	Goga
	Ajooba	Vazir's Man
1992	Panaah	Praveen Kumar
	Humlaa	Sher Khan
	Waqt Ka Badshah	Goon
1994	Beta Ho To Aisa	Shera
1994	Kishkinda Kaanda	Truck Driver	Telugu Film
1996	Jaan	Goon
	Ajay	Tiwari
1997	Suryaputra Shanidev	Hanuman
1998	Sham Ghansham	Goon
	Train to Pakistan	Goon
2013	Mahabharat Aur Barbareek	Bhima	A Movie directed by Dharmesh Tiwari

References

1. "Praveen Kumar". sports-reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
2. The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Sports Tribune. Tribuneindia.com (24 May 2003). Retrieved on 30 June 2017.
3. Interview of actor Praveen Kumar who played the character of Bheem in TV serial Mahabharat. blogspot.in (3 January 2012)
4. 'Bheem' waiting for a special role. The Hindu (12 January 2009).
5. Corporation elections: It's Mahabharat on Delhi streets. Mid-day.com (13 April 2012). Retrieved on 30 June 2017.
6. Pushpendra Singh Rajput (4 October 2011) Bhim of Mahabharat Serial Praveen Kumar Reached Mahavir Mandir, Faridabad. faridabadmetro.com
7. 'Bheem' is AAP candidate for Wazirpur seat in Delhi poll, PTI New Delhi, 19 September 2013
8. "BJP like Pandavas, Opposition Kauravas: "Bheem"". The Hindu. 4 April 2014.

External links

• Praveen Kumar Sobti at IMDb