Veteran actor Pankaj Dheer of Mahabharat fame died at the age of 68, after a long battle with cancer. Actor Firoz Khan, who played Arjun in the same news, confirmed the development on social media.As per sources, Pankaj reportedly had cancer but fought through it. However, it relapsed a few months back and he was extremely unwell. He also went through major surgery for the same.
He was popularised after playing Karan. His pictures were used in textbooks as reference to Karan and his statues are worshipped as Karan in temples in Karnal and Bastar.An official statement from CINTAA (Cine & TV Artistes Association) was released on Tuesday, confirming the news of Dheer's death: "With profound grief and deep sorrow, we inform you of the passing away of our Trust’s erstwhile Chairman and CINTAA’s former Hon. General Secretary, Shri Pankaj Dheer ji, on 15th October 2025.
The cremation will be held today at 4:30 p.m Next to Pawan Hans, Vile Parle(W) Mumbai. He is the father of actor Nikitin Dheer who has appeared in films like Jodhaa Akbar, Ready (2011), Chennai Express (2013), Kanche (2015), Shershaah (2021) and Sooryavanshi (2021), and the series Indian Police Force (2024).