Biography

Praveen Kumar Sobti (6 December 1947 – 7 February 2022) was an Indian hammer and discus thrower, film actor, politician, and soldier with Border Security Force. As a 20 year old he joined then newly raised Border Security Force from where he attracted the attention of his officers through his fine athletic skills and went to represent India at various athletic events in "Discus throw". 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.