Sometimes destiny has a strange sense of humour. For Pankaj Dheer, it came wearing a crown of fate and a moustache he refused to shave. The actor who became the face of Karna in BR Chopra’s legendary ‘Mahabharat’ passed away on Wednesday after a long and painful battle with cancer. He was 68.
For millions of viewers in the late 1980s, Pankaj wasn’t just an actor. He ‘was’ Karna. His calm strength, piercing eyes, and golden armour defined the noble warrior for a generation. But few know that he almost became Arjuna instead.
In an old conversation, Pankaj had once narrated the twist of fate that changed everything for him. After a successful audition, the makers of ‘Mahabharat’ including writer Rahi Masoom Raza and lyricist Pandit Narendra Sharma thought he was perfect for Arjuna.
Pankaj was thrilled. He signed the contract, shook hands with the team, and walked out feeling like his big break had arrived.
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Actor Pankaj Dheer, renowned for ‘Mahabharat’ and ‘Chandrakanta,’ passes away at 68 after cancer battle. #PankajDheer #RIP #PankajDheerPassedAway #Mahabharat #Chandrakanta #breakingnews #TheStatesman pic.x.com/vjDKVTi3wq
— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) October 15, 2025
But the celebration didn’t last long. A call soon came from BR Chopra himself. The director explained that Arjuna, during his exile, disguises himself as Brihannala, a eunuch, and that would require Pankaj to shave off his moustache.
That was where everything fell apart.
“I said, ‘Sir, I can’t do that. My face won’t look good without a moustache,’” Pankaj had recalled in that interview. Chopra was shocked. He couldn’t believe an actor would reject a major role for such a reason. The filmmaker reportedly said, “Are you an actor or what? You’re leaving such a big role because of a moustache?”
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Pankaj, however, stood firm. Looking back years later, he called it his “big stupidity.” Chopra lost his patience and told him to leave his office immediately. “He tore my contract and threw me out,” Pankaj remembered with a laugh. “For six months, I was just doing dubbing work, wandering here and there.”
But as fate would have it, destiny had a grander script in store. Months later, BR Chopra called him again, this time for the role of Karna.
“Chopra sahab asked, ‘Will you play Karna?’” Pankaj had shared. “I asked him, ‘Sir, I don’t have to shave off my moustache, right?’ He said no. And that’s how I became Karna. It was destiny.”
That role changed everything. Pankaj Dheer’s Karna became one of the most loved and respected portrayals in Indian television history.
“The love people gave me for Karna was unbelievable,” Pankaj had once said. “In fact, even in some history books, my face is used for Karna. That’s how deep the connection went.”
Beyond ‘Mahabharat’, Pankaj worked in several films and television shows, including ‘Chandrakanta’, where he played the scheming King Shiv Dutt.