Pankaj Dheer, who played Karn in Mahabharata, dies after cancer battle: Report

Veteran actor Pankaj Dheer has passed away, known for his role in BR Chopra's Mahabharat. CINTAA confirmed his death.

Veteran actor Pankaj Dheer has passed away. The television actor was best known for his role as Karn in BR Chopra's Mahabharat.

Pankaj Dheer was most famous for his role in Mahabharat.

The news was reported by India Today and that he was suffering from cancer. CINTAA (Cine & TV Artistes’ Association) member Amit Behl confirmed Pankaj's death. An official statement from CINTAA mentioned: “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.”

Fans are sharing condolence messages on his Instagram profile.

Pankaj Dheer played Karan in Mahabharat

Pankaj played Kunti's son Karan in the epic TV series that ran from 1988 on Doordarshan. Speaking about the show, he told HT in 2016, “We had no vanity vans or make-up rooms. We stayed in tents. There was one toilet for 40 people. We didn’t have personal make-up men. We would wear heavy metal costumes that would heat up and were very uncomfortable."

He recalls a scene when his chariot was racing away in the field and it broke down mid-way. “The horses went haywire. I had to jump off the chariot or I would have died,” he says. Dheer was also hit by an arrow near his eye during a fight scene once and had to get surgery for the same.

Pankaj is survived by his son, actor Nikitin Dheer.