Mumbai Oct 15: Actor Pankaj Dheer, who is best known for his portrayal of Karn in BR Chopra's popular television epic 'Mahabharat', passed away at the age of 68.

His co-star Arjun Feroz Khan, who was seen as Arjuna on the show, took to the Stories section of his Instagram and wrote, "Gentleman!!! Bids goodbye (teary-eyed emoji) will miss you PD (broken heart emoji) Stay blessed (Sparkle emojis)". Khan even dropped a throwback picture posing with the late actor.

While the exact reason for his demise is still unknown, the media reports claimed that the actor was suffering from cancer for a long time.

According to the reports, his cancer had relapsed a few months ago, and the actor was extremely unwell. He reportedly even went through major surgery as part of the treatment.

The actor's funeral will be held at 4:30 pm at Pawan Hans Crematorium in the Vile Parle west area of Mumbai on Wednesday.

The official Instagram account of CINTAA (Cine & TV Artistes’ Association) posted a note on the platform notifying about the actor's demise. They wrote, "CINTAA and CAWT mourn the loss of Shri Pankaj Dheer ji, former General Secretary of CINTAA and former Chairman of CAWT — a respected member of our fraternity whose invaluable contributions to Indian cinema and television will always be remembered. Funeral today at 4:30 PM at Pawan Hans Crematorium, Vile Parle (W). Om Shanti".

For those who do not know, Pankaj Dheer rose to fame after his portrayal as Karn in B. R. Chopra's 1988 epic television series 'Mahabharat'. He further appeared as the lead in "Dastak" in 1993, co-starring Shagufta Ali and Sameer Kakkar.

In addition to this, he further featured in the "Zee Horror Show", along with Archana Puran Singh.

Moreover, the actor played the lead as a defence lawyer in the TV Series "Kanoon".

Along with his acting career, he is also credited with opening the Abbhinnay Acting Academy in Mumbai, with actor Gufi Paintal as the faculty head in 2010.

Pankaj Dheer is survived by his actor son Nikitin Dheer, who is known for his work in 'Chennai Express'.

--IANS

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