Jackie Shroff remembers late actor Pankaj Dheer on 70th birth anniversary
Mumbai, Nov 9 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Veteran actor Jackie Shroff remembered Pankaj Dheer on his 70th birth anniversary and paid a heartfelt tribute to the late actor.
Jackie took to his stories section, where he shared a post in his memory and remembered him on the special occasion.
He wrote: “Remembering Pankaj Dheer Ji on his birth anniversary #PankajDheer.”
Pankaj began his on-screen career in the film Poonam in 1981. He then played roles in several small films, until he got his big break, appearing in B. R. Chopra’s epic television series Mahabharat, as Karna.
He was originally cast as Arjuna, but got the role of Karna due to his refusal to shave off his moustache. The role of Karna was the highlight of Dheer’s career and made him a household name in India. He appeared as the lead in the debut episode, Dastak, of the horror anthology TV series Zee Horror Show along with Archana Puran Singh.
He also played the lead as a defence lawyer in the TV Series Kanoon, a series based on courtroom dramas. He appeared as Hussain in the 1993 action film Pardesi. He starred as the lead character of King Shivdutt, in fantasy TV series Chandrakanta in 1994.
He performed versatile supporting character roles in Hindi movies such as Soldier, Andaaz, Baadshah and Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge. He appeared as Police Inspector Malik in the 1995 action film Nishana.
In 2010, he opened Abbhinnay Acting Academy in Mumbai, with actor Gufi Paintal as the faculty head. He directed the romantic comedy-drama film My Father Godfather in 2014. In 2011 he appeared in the Zee TV historical drama series Shobha Somnath Ki.
In his last television appearance, he played the role of Giriraj in the Sci-fi Fantasy series Dhruv Tara – Samay Sadi Se Pare in 2024. Pankaj Dheer died from cancer in 2025, at the age of 68.
On the work front, Jackie was last seen in “Welcome to the Jungle” directed by Ahmed Khan, written by Neeraj Vora.
The film stars an ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Raveena Tandon, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Farida Jalal, Lara Dutta, Shreyas Talpade, Aftab Shivdasani, Yashpal Sharma, and Akshara Singh.
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