Pradeep Rawat's son Vikramaditya breaks down at his father’s last rites; shares emotional account of actor's last moments

Veteran actor Pradeep Rawat was cremated in Mumbai on Wednesday, August 5, with family, friends and members of the film fraternity gathering to bid him a final farewell. His son, Vikramaditya, performed the last rites, and emotional visuals from the cremation left many heartbroken.

Videos shared by paparazzi on social media showed Vikramaditya performing the rituals for his father. Visibly devastated, he struggled to hold back tears as he said his final goodbye to the veteran actor.

Pradeep, 74, died of blood cancer relapse on Tuesday. The news about the death of Pradeep was shared by his co-star Yashpal Sharma, whereas the association of All India Cine Workers expressed grief over his death.

Speaking to the media after the final rites, Vikramaditya broke down as he recalled his father's final moments in the ICU. He revealed that on Tuesday evening, Pradeep's platelet count had dropped to 3,000, while a healthy count is ideally around 3 lakh.

Vikramaditya said he watched doctors administer CPR to his father before realising that he was no longer alive. He added that his mother broke down in tears at that moment.

Actor Aamir Khan and director Ashutosh Gowariker were also among the people attending the cremation ceremony to offer their condolences. Several other personalities from the film fraternity who came to attend the funeral included Akhilendra Mishra, Ruhanika Dhawan, Karan V Grover along with his wife Poppy Jabbal, Ashoke Pandit, Surendra Pal, Raj Arjun and Rajendra Gupta.

Pradeep was widely admired for his performances in films such as Ghajini, Lagaan and Sarfarosh. He also became a household name for portraying Ashwatthama in B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat.

Also read: Ghajini actor Pradeep Rawat’s last rites today; truck decorated with white flowers for final journey

Born on January 21, 1952, in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, the actor built a remarkable career spanning more than four decades across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and several other film industries.

Before his demise, Pradeep was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. He was later shifted to a cancer hospital in Bhiwandi, where he continued treatment before passing away.