Celebrities Pay Tribute to Veteran Actor Pankaj Dheer at Prayer Meet in Mumbai

Several members of the film fraternity gathered at ISKCON Temple in Juhu, Mumbai, on Friday evening to pay their respects to veteran actor Pankaj Dheer. Attendees included Abhishek Bachchan, Shilpa Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Zayed Khan, Suresh Oberoi, Rajat Bedi, and Ramesh Taurani, who offered condolences to the bereaved family, including Pankaj’s son, Nikitin Dheer.

Other notable attendees were Ashoke Pandit, Baba Azmi, Jaaved Jaaferi, Esha Deol, Firoz Khan, Madhur Bhandarkar, Mukesh Khanna, Poonam Dhillon, Puneet Issar, Raj Kundra, Ranjeet, Rohit Shetty, Sharad Saxena, Tanvi Azmi, Upasana Singh, and Urvashi Dholakia.

Remembering Pankaj Dheer

Actor Amit Behl shared his shock at Pankaj’s passing with ANI:

“He was ailing about three years ago, but he had recovered. He was back to work. I spoke to him about four months ago, and he was sounding fine. But this is shocking, really shocking for all of us… He had lost weight but was actively working in a serial. It’s really sad.”

Pankaj, best known for his portrayal of Karna in Mahabharat and King Shivdutt in Chandrakanta, passed away on October 15 at the age of 68 after a prolonged battle with cancer. His last rites were performed at the Pawan Hans crematorium on Wednesday evening, with celebrities including Salman Khan, Sidharth Malhotra, Arbaaz Khan, Puneet Issar, and Mika Singh paying their respects. He is survived by his wife, Anita Dheer, and son Nikitin Dheer, who is also an actor.

Career Highlights

Hailing from Punjab, Pankaj began his acting career in the 1980s with minor film roles and later appeared in movies such as Sadak, Sanam Bewafa, Aashik Awara, Soldier, Baadshah, Andaz, Zameen, and Tarzan. In the late 2000s, he featured in popular television serials including Teen Bahuraaniyaan, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, and Sasural Simar Ka, leaving a lasting legacy in both film and television.