Actor Pankaj Dheer, best known for playing the iconic role of Karna in BR Chopra's 1988 TV series Mahabharat, died at the age of 68 on Wednesday. His last rites were held at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Mumbai's Santacruz suburb at 4:30 PM today.
Celebrities Arriving To Bid Farewell
Salman Khan and Sidharth Malhotra were seen arriving to pay their last respects.
Some of the other industry colleagues present at the funeral included Deep Dhillon, who played Jayadratha; Surendra Pal, who played Dronacharya; and Firoz Khan, who played Arjun in Mahabharat.
Shahbaz Khan, known for essaying the character of Prince Virendra Vikram Singh in Chandrakanta, was also in attendance.
Actors Jaya Bhattacharya, Mukesh Rishi and Kushal Tandon were also seen, along with BN Tiwari - President of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) - and Sushant Singh - Honorary Secretary of CINTAA (Cine and Television Artists' Association).
Pankaj Dheer, who had been in and out of hospital in recent months, was battling cancer, sources told NDTV.
The Cine & TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) took to X earlier to confirm details about Pankaj Dheer's last rites.
The X post read, "#CINTAA & #CAWT mourn the loss of Shri Pankaj Dheer, former General Secretary of #CINTAA and former Chairman of #CAWT - a respected member of our fraternity whose invaluable contributions to Indian cinema and television will always be remembered. Funeral today at 4:30 PM at Pawanhans Crematorium, Vile Parle (W). Om Shanti."
#CINTAA & #CAWT mourn the loss of Shri Pankaj Dheer, former General Secretary of #CINTAA and former Chairman of #CAWT — a respected member of our fraternity whose invaluable contributions to Indian cinema and television will always be remembered.
— CINTAA_Official (@CintaaOfficial) October 15, 2025
Funeral today at 4:30 PM at… pic.twitter.com/kNTG4TTTVc
About Pankaj Dheer
The actor featured in minor roles in many films until Mahabharat came his way, which made him a household name.
Beyond Mahabharat, Pankaj Dheer appeared in several popular TV series, including Chandrakanta, The Great Maratha, Kanoon and Sasural Simar Ka. His film credits include Saugandh (1991), Sadak (1991), Baadshah (1999), Soldier (1998) and Tarzan: The Wonder Car (2004).
His wife, Anita Dheer, is a costume designer, and their son Nikitin Dheer is also an actor, known for films such as Chennai Express, Jodhaa Akbar and Sooryavanshi. His daughter-in-law is actor Kratika Sengar, famous for Ek Veer Stree Ki Kahaani - Jhansi Ki Rani.
In A Nutshell
Pankaj Dheer's last rites took place at Pawan Hans Crematorium, Santacruz, Mumbai, earlier today. Salman Khan was seen arriving to pay his final respects to the Mahabharat actor.
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