Roopa Ganguly, who played the iconic Draupadi in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat (1988-1990), remembered her co-star Pankaj Dheer in an exclusive conversation with NDTV. She received the news from another co-star Nitish Bharadwaj (who played Lord Krishna in the show) minutes before NDTV reached out to her.
“I can’t imagine he left us at this age. I am so sorry to hear this. I don’t know what to say,” were Roopa Ganguly’s first words to NDTV after learning upon Pankaj Dheer’s death.
As per sources, Pankaj Dheer died of cancer. When asked about it, Roopa Ganguly said she was not aware of the actor’s illness. “I talked to him over a text probably a year ago. But he never spoke to me about his illness,” Roopa Ganguly broke into tears.
Recalling fond memories of the Mahabharat shoot, Roopa Ganguly tells NDTV, “Pankaj Dheer was the most handsome man on the set after Nitish Bharadwaj. I used to send him texts calling him, ‘my most handsome friend.’ He knew people called him ‘handsome’. But he’s a very well-mannered, soft-spoken gentleman. Puneet Issar (who played Duryodhan) and Firoz Khan (who played Arjun) were a bit playful (chulbule). But Pankaj was always a reserved person.”
Asked when Roopa Ganguly last met him in person, the film veteran said, “It was years ago. I go to Mumbai for a short period. I inform some of my friends before going over there. I remember, one time Pankaj came and met me. And the other time, he couldn’t. But we used to talk over texts on and off.”
In an earlier interview, Pankaj Dheer recalled how he was adamant to not get rid of his moustache, prompting BR Chopra to threaten to throw him out of the show.
“I have heard about these stories. But we never discussed them because the casting of the Pandavas happened much before the character of Draupadi was introduced in the show,” recalled Roopa Ganguly.
Apart from Mahabharat, Pankaj Dheer gained another fanbase for his powerful portrayal as Raja Shivdutt in the cult show Chandrakanta, which aired on television from 1994-1996.
In recent times, Pankaj Dheer was seen in daily soaps like Teen Bahuraaniyaan, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, Rang Badalti Odhani, and Sasural Simar Ka.
Also Read | Pankaj Dheer, Karna Of Mahabharat, Dies At 68 After Cancer Battle
