Mumbai Oct 15 (IANS) TV actress Dipika Kakkar, who is currently battling cancer, was seen attending veteran actor Pankaj Dheer’s funeral in Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by her husband and actor Shoaib Ibrahim.

Dipika looked visibly emotional as she joined friends and members of the film fraternity to pay her final respects to the late actor. In the video, Dipika is seen dressed in a simple white and navy blue ethnic suit, walking with Shoaib hand in hand, who was in a plain white shirt and jeans and was trying to console a visibly disturbed Dipika.

For the uninitiated, Dipika Kakkar, Shoaib Ibrahim and Pankaj Dheer starred together in the super-hit TV show Sasural Simar Ka a few years ago, where Dipika and Pankaj played the roles of father and daughter. Pankaj Dheer was remembered for his iconic portrayal of Karna in the epic television series Mahabharata. Many people from the Bollywood fraternity attended Pankaj Dheer’s funeral, including Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Kushal Tandon, Dipika Kakkar and many others.

Bollywood star Sidharth Malhotra also attended the funeral of veteran actor, dressed in a simple white shirt and blue jeans. He was seen meeting Pankaj’s son and actor Nikitin Dheer, further offering condolences to the bereaved family. For the uninitiated, Pankaj Dheer had been battling cancer for quite some time now, and as a part of the treatment, he had recently undergone a major operation as well.

The actor was popular for his character as Karn in the TV series Mahabharat. The late actor’s son Nikitin Dheer has also worked with Sidharth in the movie “Shershah”. Pankaj Dheer’s funeral was held at Pawan Hans Crematorium in the Vile Parle West area of Mumbai. Pankaj was 68 years old at the time of passing away.

The official Instagram account of CINTAA (Cine & TV Artistes’ Association) posted a note on the platform informing about the actor’s demise. In an official statement shared by them on their social media account, they wrote, “CINTAA and CAWT mourn the loss of Shri Pankaj Dheer ji, former General Secretary of CINTAA and former Chairman of CAWT — a respected member of our fraternity whose invaluable contributions to Indian cinema and television will always be remembered.”

Funeral today at 4:30 PM at Pawan Hans Crematorium, Vile Parle (W). Om Shanti”. Pankaj Dheer is survived by his wife, Aneeta, and his actor son, Nikitin Dheer, who was seen as Thangabali in “Chennai Express”. His daughter-in-law Kratika Sengar is also an actress.

–IANS

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