Veteran actor Pankaj Dheer, best known for playing Karna in the iconic TV series Mahabharat, passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer on October 15 in Mumbai, at the age of 68. On Friday, a prayer meet was held for Pankaj at the ISKCON Temple in Juhu, which was attended by several celebrities, including Rohit Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Zayed Khan, and Shilpa Shetty, among others, who came to offer their condolences to the family.
Jackie Shroff Schools Paparazzo For Recording Him At Pankaj Dheer's Prayer Meet
Actor Jackie Shroff was also present at the prayer meet. As he exited the temple premises, he was seen schooling a paparazzo who was recording him outside. In a calm yet firm tone, Jackie urged the cameraman to refrain from filming, reminding him of the sensitivity of the moment. He said, "Tu samajhdar hai na? Tere ghar mein, apne ghar mein hoga toh samajh raha haina (If something were to happen in your house, you're understanding right)?"
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The news of his death was confirmed by actor Amit Behl to ANI. Behl said that Pankaj had been unwell a few years ago but had recovered and returned to work.
"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 was ailing, but he had recovered, lost weight, and was working, you know, in a serial or something else. I spoke to him about three or four months ago, and he was sounding fine. So it's quite a shock to me. It's really sad," Amit told ANI.
Pankaj Dheer is survived by wife Aneeta, actor son Nikitin Dheer, and daughter-in-law Kratika Sengar, who also is an actress. He also has a 3-year-old granddaughter, Devika.
