Pradeep Rawat, known for films such as Lagaan and Ghajini, died at the age of 74 on August 4. The actor, who had been battling cancer for a prolonged period, once broke down while talking about his journey during an interview. He also fondly recalled his mother’s teaching that kept him going during his diagnosis.
When Pradeep Rawat spoke about his cancer diagnosis
Pradeep Rawat once opened up about one of the toughest phases of his life, recalling how he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer just after completing a film shoot. Despite the life-changing news, the actor says fear never crossed his mind. Instead, he found himself comforting his family.
“When I finished a shoot, I found out that I had stage four cancer. What happened was that I had blood in my stool, so I got a checkup done, then found out that there is a tumour inside which is bleeding, and that it is stage four cancer. So everyone was shocked, family members started crying,” the actor told Siddharth Kanan in his podcast in 2024.
Rawat recalled that he understood the diagnosis even before anyone told him. The expressions on his loved ones’ faces said it all. “After looking at their report, when they came close to me, I knew from their faces that it was cancer, from their faces because they were crying. I said, ‘What is it, right? Bajrangbali is there.’ Bajrangbali pulled me out.”
The health battle came after he had already undergone bypass surgery in 2016. Two years later, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, which took a heavy toll on his body. “Stage four… stage four cancer, the 20 kg that I had recovered in a year or a year and a half, 20 kg lost again. Stage four cancer happened to me in 18 (2018). Bypass happened to me in 16 (2016), this happened in 18 (2018).”
Pradeep Rawat had shared he wasn’r afraid of dying
When asked if he was ever afraid of dying, the actor gave a firm answer. He said he never believed that anything would happen to him. Instead, he focused on keeping his family strong. “Not at all, not even for a single moment did I feel that anything would happen to me. Not even for a single moment, I was giving them courage that nothing will happen, why are you crying? My wife started crying, the kid was small, right?”, he shared.
Rawat had also remembered the words of his late mother, which gave him strength during the darkest days of his life. “Then I remembered my mother’s words, that same thing—’asal maja Hari…’ [meaning: if God/Hari is with you, then everything will be fine, don’t worry]. Now she is no more, her blessings supported me a lot. My courage, honesty, everything… Mother went away teaching me a lot.”
Pradeep Rawat is known for movies such as Lagaan, Ghajini, Ashwatthama. He had also worked in several South movies.
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Pradeep Rawat’s final film was a Nepali family drama; here’s all about the movie and its sequel
