Mahabharat actor Pankaj Dheer no more...

Television star Pankaj Dheer, known for playing Karna in B R Chopra’s Mahabharat and king Shivdutt in fantasy drama Chandrakanta, has died at the age of 68 following a battle with cancer.

“He passed away due to cancer this morning. He had been in and out of hospital in the past months,” producer and friend Ashoke Pandit informed. Dheer, who hailed from Punjab, started out as an actor in the 1980s, featuring in minor roles in many movies.

His big break came in 1988 when he was cast as Karna in the small screen adaptation of Hindu epic Mahabharata. After that, his popularity peaked and he starred in many movies such as Sadak, Sanam Bewafa and Aashik Awara.

From 1994 to 1996, Dheer starred in TV series Chandrakanta, loosely based on author Devaki Nandan Khatri’s 1888 novel of the same name. Some of his notable movies also include Bobby Deol’s Soldier, Shah Rukh Khan’s Baadshah, Akshay Kumar’s Andaz and Ajay Devgn’s Zameen and Tarzan. In the late 2000s, Dheer appeared in many daily soaps Teen Bahuraaniyaan, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and Sasural Simar Ka.

Dheer is survived by wife Anita Dheer and son Nikitin Dheer.