Mumbai: Bollywood and television veteran actor Paknaj Dheer’s passing away sent a shockwave across the country. His son Nikitin Dheer, who is yet to officially announce his father’s demise on his social media, just a few hours before Pankaj’s death had shared a post about life.
Fans were seen linking the post to his father’s death and the irony around it. Nikitin shared a post featuring a mythological character alongside an important quote talking about the hardships of life. The caption on the post also reflected on acceptance and faith. It read, “Whatever comes, let it come. Whatever stays, let it stay. Whatever goes, let it go. As a Shiva Bhakt, say ‘Shivarpanam’ and move on! He’ll take care! – very hard to do –”\
The post was just a few hours before his father Pankaj Dheer’s death. While the exact reason for his demise is still unknown, the media reports claimed that the 68-year-old actor was suffering from cancer for a long time. Talking about Pankaj Dheer, the veteran was a celebrated figure in Indian cinema and television and was best known for his iconic portrayal of “Karn” in the epic TV series “Mahabharat”.
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Dheer’s co-star Arjun Feroz Khan, who was seen as Arjuna in the show Mahabharat, took to his social media account and wrote, “Gentleman!!! Bids goodbye (teary-eyed emoji) will miss you PD (broken heart emoji). Stay blessed. (Sparkle emojis) Khan even dropped a picture posing with the late actor. According to reports, his cancer had relapsed a few months ago, and the actor had been extremely unwell ever since then. He reportedly even went through major surgery as part of the treatment.
The Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association President Ashoke Pandit penned on social media, “Shocked to know about the sad demise of our dear friend and a brilliant actor, Pankaj Dheer. A great human being. Huge loss to the industry. Heartfelt condolences to the family. Om Shanti (folded hands emoji)” “Please note Final rites at Pawan Hans cremation ground, S.V. Road, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai,” he added.
Talking about his work, Pankaj Dheer gained immense fame after portraying Karn in B. R. Chopra’s 1988 epic television series, Mahabharat, and further appeared as the lead in Dastak in 1993, co-starring Shagufta Ali and Sameer Kakkar. He was also seen in multiple Bollywood movies in important roles. The actor was a part of Bobby Deol’s Soldier and Abhishek Bachchan’s Zameen, to name a few.
He was last seen in the sci-fi fantasy romantic drama television series “Dhruv Tara Samay Sadi Se Pare”, which also starred Ishaan Dhawan and Riya Sharma.
Pankaj Dheer is survived by wife Aneeta, actor son Nikitin Dheer, and daughter-in-law Kratika Sengar, who also is an actress. He also has a 3-year-old granddaughter, Devika.
