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Actor Praveen Kumar Sobti passed away on Monday at the age of 75. Towering over six feet, with broad shoulders and an athletic physique, he looked like a mythological warrior who had jumped straight out of a comic book strip. And not so surprisingly, he secured an opportunity to play the character of Bheem in the iconic television serial Mahabharat. The character immortalised him in Indian pop culture and it became his calling card in every part of the country.
In the south, Praveen’s Bheem persona was used for a great comical effect in director Singeetam Srinivasa Rao’s landmark comedy film, Michael Madana Kama Rajan. The movie was written by Kamal Haasan along with late screenplay writer Crazy Mohan. Besides writing it, Kamal had also played four characters in the film. And one of them was an America-educated, no-nonsense shrewd businessman, Madan. He was always accompanied by his loyal bodyguard, Bheem.
Unlike Mahabharat’s Bheem, Michael Madana Kama Rajan’s Bheem Boy doesn’t strike fear in your heart. He’s a gentle giant, who walks among the vast population of meerkats. So much so, next to him, even Ponnambalam looked like a terrified school kid. Even as we knew his character was totally harmless, when he was around, we were always hoping he would play to his strengths — maybe lift a car up or destroy a home with his bare hands. And of course, Bheem does all those things in the movie.
Bheem of Michael Madana Kama Rajan is all brawn and no brains. His redeeming quality is, however, his fierce loyalty to his boss. For instance, if he were Kattappa in Baahubali and his master wanted him to stab Baahubali in the back, he would have done it sans moral dilemma and emotional drama. For him, his boss and his wishes supersede everything else in the world.
In a scene, to demonstrate the meaning of loyalty to the cunning Avinasi, played by unmatchable late comedy icon Nagesh, Madan asks Bheem to jump out of the window. And without thinking twice, Bheem follows the order while making a cartoonish sound.
Bheem also evolves as a giant guarding the treasure later in the movie. All the unworthy men, who seek to lay claim on the fortunes of his master Madan, have to first deal with him. So Avinasi finds one of Madan’s lost brothers and trains him to tame Bheem with a secret message, thus paving the way for the evergreen comedy scene of Kamal’s Kameshwaran endless repeating, “Bheem boy, Bheem boy”.
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