Mahabharat’s Karna, actor Pankaj Dheer, passes away at 68
Pankaj Dheer, best known for playing the role of Karna in BR Chopra’s popular show ‘Mahabharat’, passed away in Mumbai at 68 on Wednesday. The veteran actor was suffering from cancer.
The Cine and TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) confirmed the news of Pankaj Dheer’s death. “With profound grief and deep sorrow, we inform you of the passing 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 pm, next to Pawan Hans, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai.” The actor’s funeral was held in Mumbai on Wednesday evening.
While Pankaj played many roles in his storied career, his work in ‘Mahabharat’ made him popular all over the country. In a chat with SCREEN in 2020, the actor said that the mythological character was now associated with him. He said, “People have loved me and adored me over the years. Even in history books used in schools, if they have a reference to Karna, they use my picture there. I have also been to the temples built for me. There is an eight-foot-tall statue of me and people come there and worship it. Whenever I visit it, people reach out to me with so much love. This goes to show that they have accepted me as Karna.”
In the same chat, he shared that over the years, he had been offered other parts in the many remakes of ‘Mahabharat’ on television, but he chose to decline them all. “I have also been offered roles in other versions of the ‘Mahabharat’, but I refused them. I have played Karna and that is it for me. It is not about money. I can make money otherwise. But I don’t want to confuse my fans. It won’t be justice to their love,” he said.
Apart from ‘Mahabharat’, Pankaj has appeared in films like ‘Baadshah’, starring Shah Rukh Khan, ‘Tumko Na Bhool Payenge’, starring Salman Khan and ‘Zameen’, starring Ajay Devgn and many others. He also appeared in TV shows like ‘Sasural Simar Ka’, ‘Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat’ and others.
Pankaj was the father of actor Nikitin Dheer, who starred in Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Chennai Express’, Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ and Akshay Kumar’s ‘Sooryavanshi’.
