'Wanted To Learn My Magic Tricks': Mecartin Remembers Pradeep Rawat And The Making Of China Town

Veteran actor Pradeep Rawat, remembered for his powerful roles in films such as Ghajini, Lagaan and Sarfarosh, passed away at the age of 74 on Tuesday. Rawat had worked across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema during a long career. He was admitted to a Mumbai hospital after battling cancer and passed away on August 4, 2026.

For Malayalam cinema, one of his memorable appearances was in China Town, the 2011 action-comedy directed by the Rafi-Mecartin duo and produced by Antony Perumbavoor. The film brought together Mohanlal, Jayaram and Dileep, with Rawat playing the antagonist Gowda. Speaking to ETV Bharat, director Mecartin looked back at the making of China Town and remembered a side of Rawat that audiences rarely saw, which was a warm, funny and remarkably simple man who could make an entire film set laugh.

The actor they expected to be serious

Rawat was considered for the role of Gowda largely because of the impression he had created through his earlier villainous performances, especially in and as Ghajini. Mecartin said the team had seen several of his films and believed his strong screen presence would make him an effective antagonist opposite three major Malayalam stars.

"We had seen many of his films, and we thought he would be a very serious and rough person," Mecartin recalled. But that impression disappeared almost immediately after Rawat arrived on the sets of China Town. According to the filmmaker, Rawat approached the team with a big smile on his face. He began joking with everyone as though they had known each other for years. "We quickly realised what a simple man he was," the director said. Within just two days, the cast and crew had become comfortable around him.

Mecartin remembered that even after finishing his scenes, Rawat would stay on set rather than return to his hotel. He would continue talking and joking with the team until the day's shooting ended.

Snippet from China Town (Photo: Special Arrangement)

The 'sign' scene that went hilariously wrong

One of Mecartin's favourite memories came while shooting Rawat's first major scene in China Town. The scene involved Mohanlal, Jayaram and Dileep standing together while Rawat's character threatened them and demanded that they sign a document. It was planned as a long shot, with the camera moving through the three actors before finally coming towards Rawat.

Rawat had to say the word "sign" angrily. But there was a problem. While practising the Malayalam dialogue, Rawat's pronunciation went wrong and the word came out sounding like "spit". The mistake immediately broke the tension on the set. Jayaram reportedly fell down laughing, while Dileep ran away from the scene laughing. Rawat himself initially did not understand why everyone was reacting that way.

Once the joke was explained to him, he understood and that created another problem. Every time they tried to shoot the scene, someone would start laughing. "Either the heroes would laugh during the shot, or Pradeep Singh would start laughing himself," Mecartin recalled. The scene eventually had to be shot several times before they could get it right.

He did not even speak Malayalam

Despite not knowing Malayalam, Rawat was able to deliver his dialogues with remarkable control. The lines were written in Hindi on a board and held behind the camera. The actor would look towards the camera and deliver them while performing the scene. What surprised Mecartin was how natural Rawat made it look. "It never felt like he was reading the dialogues," the director recalled.

The making of 'Jai Jai Gowda Ji'

Rawat's presence also helped shape one of the film's memorable comic moments. Suraj Venjaramoodu's "Jai Jai Gowda Ji" dialogue became popular with audiences and remained memorable long after the film's release. Mecartin said the team did not initially expect the sequence to receive so much attention. In the scene, Rawat's character enters a procession while Suraj's character and his friends pretend not to notice him. When Rawat looks at Suraj, expecting him to acknowledge him, Suraj quickly responds with "Jai Jai Gowda Ji".

Mecartin recalled that Rawat himself suggested that the scene needed a larger crowd to work better. With more people surrounding him, he felt his character's intimidating gaze would have greater impact. The director agreed with him. It was another example of Rawat contributing to the scene beyond simply delivering his lines.

A villain who made everyone laugh

Rawat had built much of his reputation playing intimidating characters. His role as the antagonist in Ghajini, particularly his dual portrayal in the Tamil and Hindi versions, made him widely recognisable to Indian audiences. He had also appeared in films such as Lagaan, Sye, Sarfarosh and Naayak. But the memories Mecartin shared show a very different person behind that screen image.

On the China Town set, Rawat was not the frightening villain audiences knew. He was someone who enjoyed company, stayed back after his scenes and constantly joked with his co-stars and technicians. That contrast is perhaps what Mecartin remembers most.

A farewell they did not want to end

For Mecartin, the most emotional memory came when the China Town shoot ended. He recalled that saying goodbye was difficult for many people who worked on the film because of the atmosphere created on the set. The cast and crew had become close during the shoot. Rawat too left with tears in his eyes.

Mecartin Remembers Pradeep Rawat And The Making Of China Town (Photo: Special Arrangement)

Mecartin remembers the last thing Rawat told him. He wanted to return during the breaks in shooting and learn some of the magic tricks that the director performed. He wanted to use the tricks when he was with his friends. "He left saying that he would come back and learn magic," Mecartin recalled. But that meeting never happened. Years later, when the news of Rawat's death reached him, Mecartin was left with the memories of the actor who had once made an entire film set laugh.