After ten days of mourning his father’s demise, actor Nikitin Dheer has broken his silence. The actor, who lost his father and veteran performer Pankaj Dheer on October 15 due to cancer, took to social media to share an emotional tribute. Pankaj, remembered mostly for his portrayal of Karna in Mahabharat, was 68. His last rites were attended by Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, and Sidharth Malhotra, among others.
‘I lost my Dad, my Guru, my best friend’
Sharing a heartfelt post alongside a video, Nikitin expressed his grief and gratitude for the love his father received from fans and the fraternity. “I am not the best at expressing my feelings.. But I shall try.. It’s said, the only thing that’s guaranteed upon birth is death.. We all know it, accept it, believe it, but when one loses someone who is an essential aspect of one’s existence a lot of questions arise. On the 15th of October 2025, I lost my Dad, my Guru, my best friend..Shri Pankaj Dheer..he wasn’t well for sometime..it shattered us as a family..,” he wrote.He continued, “After he passed we were thronged by thousands of messages..the people who were younger sent prayers, the elders sent aashirwaad and his friends, colleagues and brothers sent love..we received love and respect towards Dad, that no amount of words can express.. I was in no frame of mind to reply to messages.. As a few days passed and I saw the continuous river of love he was receiving, I realized that..this is life..not the material things one gathers.. But the love..the blessings..the aadar satkar..all of which is intangible.. All of which my father shall carry to a life after..”See More: Veteran actor Satish Shah passes away due to kidney failure at 74
‘He taught me what grit, loyalty and perseverance mean’
Reflecting on his father’s teachings, Nikitin shared, “Today I am more proud than ever to be his son.. He was the best father a boy could ever ask for..taught me what grit is..what character is..what loyalty is..what persevering is..how one should follow their dreams even if the world thinks you’re delusional..All the life lessons he taught me shall be my north star as long as I breathe..the wide range for music he exposed me to..the love for cinema..or as he would call it ”Cine Maa”..from him what I got in virasat most is.. utmost love and respect for our industry..knowing how beautiful and inclusive it is.. ”He added that he now feels prouder than ever to be Pankaj Dheer’s son and promised to make his father proud both as an actor and as a human being. “I promise..that as an actor and as a human being I shall make sure I do things to make my father proud.. I just wanted to thank each one of you for the respect and love you have shown him.. This video is a thank you to all of you.. Who loved him…adored him…”
Ash immersion in Rishikesh
On Friday, Nikitin and his family performed the asthi visarjan and peace prayers for the late actor at Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, guided by Swami Chidanand Saraswati. The family expressed their gratitude to the spiritual leader, sharing that Pankaj had a deep spiritual connection with the ashram and always found peace there.Signing off his note, Nikitin wrote, “We are very grateful for HH Swami Chidanand Shastri ji.. who at Parmarth Aashram helped us with Dad’s asthi visarjan and pooja.. We thank you all with folded hands on behalf of our entire family.Jai Maa Gange 🌸 Har Har Mahadev 🔱”
