Mumbai: The demise of veteran Bollywood and television actor Paknaj Dheer sent a wave of mourning across the country. His son Nikitin Dheer, who is yet to officially announce his father’s demise on social media, had shared a post about Pankaj’s life just hours before his death.
Fans seemed to connect this post with his father’s death and the ironies associated with it. Nikitin shared a post of a mythological character with an important quote talking about life’s difficulties. Acceptance and confidence are also visible in the caption of the post. It read, “He who comes, let him come. He who stays, let him stay. He who goes, let him go. As a Shiva devotee, say ‘Shivarpanam’ and move on! He will take care! – It is very difficult to do that -“\
This post was made a few hours before the death of his father Pankaj Dheer. Although the exact reason for his demise is still unknown, media reports claim that the 68-year-old actor was suffering from cancer for a long time. Talking about Pankaj Dheer, the veteran was a well-known figure in Indian cinema and television and was best known for his iconic portrayal of “Karna” in the epic TV series “Mahabharat”.
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Dheer’s co-star Arjun Firoz Khan, who was seen as Arjun in the show Mahabharat, wrote on his social media account, “Gentleman!!! Goodbye (teary-eyed emoji) Will miss you PD (broken heart emoji). Stay blessed. (sparkle emoji) Khan also shared a picture with the late actor. According to reports, he suffered a recurrence of cancer a few months ago. And since then the actor was extremely unwell. He also reportedly had to undergo major surgery as part of the treatment.
Also read: Who was Pankaj Dheer? Mahabharat actor whose first film was unsuccessful, still worships in temples – know everything about his wife, son who played Ravana, net worth
Ashok Pandit, president of the Indian Film and Television Directors Association, wrote on social media, “Shocked to learn about the tragic demise of our dear friend and a brilliant actor, Pankaj Dheer. A great human being. A huge loss to the industry. Heartfelt condolences to the family. Om Shanti (folded hands emoji)” “Please note that the last rites were performed at Pawan Hans Cremation Ground, SV Road, Vile Parle (W) Will go.” Mumbai,” he further said.
Talking about his work, Pankaj Dheer rose to fame after playing the character of Karna in BR Chopra’s 1988 epic television series, Mahabharata and appeared in the lead role in Dastak in 1993, co-starring Shagufta Ali and Sameer Kakkar. He was also seen in important roles in many Bollywood films. The actor was a part of Bobby Deol’s Soldier and Abhishek Bachchan’s Zameen.
She was last seen in the science-fiction fantasy romantic drama television series “Dhruva Tara Samay Sadi Se Pare”, also starring Ishaan Dhawan and Rhea Sharma.
Pankaj Dheer is survived by his wife Anita, actor son Nikitin Dheer and daughter-in-law Kritika Sengar, who is also an actress. He also has a 3 year old granddaughter Devika.