Pankaj Dheer's Prayer Meet: Son Nikitin Appears Sombre As Celebs Offer Final Respects To Mahabharat Actor

The family of Pankaj Dheer hosted a memorial meet in his honour in Juhu, Mumbai on October 17. Known for playing Karna in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat and king Shivdutt in fantasy drama Chandrakanta, Dheer died Wednesday morning following a battle with cancer. His last rites took place at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Santacruz as celebs arrived to offer condolences to the bereaved kin.

At Dheer's prayer meet, Esha Deol, Rajat Bedi, Sharat Saxena, Upasana Singh, Aditya Pancholi, Firoz Khan and his son Jibraan Khan, Mohit Raina, Mukesh Rishi, Puneet Issar, Raj Kundra, Johnny Lever, Ashutosh Gowariker, Ranjeet, Javed Jaffery, Madhur Bhandarkar, Mukesh Khanna, Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Zayed Khan and many more were seen. 

Dheer's son Nikitin and other family members were also seen at the prayer meet.

Also read: The Kerala Story Actress Adah's Candid Take On 'Propaganda Movies'

Pankaj Dheer's humble beginnings to movie stardom

Pankaj Dheer, who hailed from Punjab, started out as an actor in the 1980s, featuring in minor roles in several movies. His big break came in 1988 when he was cast as Karna in the small screen adaptation of Hindu epic Mahabharata. After that, his popularity peaked and he starred in many movies such as Sadak, Sanam Bewafa and Aashik Awara.

Also read: Baahubali Team Reacts After Fan Complains Of 'Sky-High' Ticket Rates

From 1994 to 1996, Dheer starred in TV series Chandrakanta, loosely based on author Devaki Nandan Khatri’s 1888 novel of the same name. He essayed the popular role of Shivdutt, the king of fictional kingdom of Chunargarh. Some of his notable movies also include Bobby Deol’s Soldier, Shah Rukh Khan’s Baadshah, Akshay Kumar’s Andaz and Ajay Devgn’s Zameen and Tarzan: The Wonder Car. In the late 2000s, Dheer appeared in many daily soaps Teen Bahuraaniyaan, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and Sasural Simar Ka. Dheer is survived by wife Anita and their son Nikitin, who is also an actor.