Praveen Kumar (actor)


Praveen Kumar Sobti 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, 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.

Sports

Kumar was a star of Indian athletics in the 1960s and the 1970s. 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.

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" in B R Chopra's popular historical tele serial Mahabharata, making him a household name.
Praveen Kumar also played the role of "Saaboo" in Chacha Chaudhary 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.
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. 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.

Filmography