Mumbai, Nov 10 (IANS) Television actress Kratika Sengar recently took to her social media account to wish her late father-in-law, Pankaj Dheer, on his birth anniversary.

The actress shared a picture of a framed photo of Pankaj Dheer adorned with a garland and surrounded by white flowers and candles, placed against a vibrant red backdrop. She captioned it as, “Your love lives on, Dad.” Happy heavenly birthday…!!!” with a pink heart and pink flower emoticon.

The actor who passed away just a few days before Diwali, this year on October 15, was dearly missed during the festival by his family. Kratika, back then, had shared a story on social media where she expressed how difficult it was to get through the festival without her father-in-law. Sharing a picture of a diya lit on Diwali, Kratika wrote, “Only when you lose someone you love do you realise how heavy the festivals can feel,” along with the heartbroken emoji.

For the uninitiated, “Pankaj Dheer passed away following a battle with cancer, as per reports. The actor had reportedly undergone surgery as a part of the treatment recently. The Indian Film and Television Fraternity had gathered in Mumbai on the 17th of October to pay their last respects to the veteran actor. A prayer meet that was organised by the Dheer family was attended by several industry colleagues and friends, who came together to honour his memory and contributions to Hindi cinema.

Among those present at the meet were filmmaker Rohit Shetty; actors Sharad Saxena, Suresh Oberoi, Isha Deol, Zayed Khan, Tanvi Azmi, Mohit Raina, Aditya Pancholi, Mukesh Rishi, Puneet Issar, Ashok Pandit, and Mukesh Khanna, among others. For the uninitiated, Pankaj Dheer was best known for his portrayal as Karna in B. R. Chopra’s iconic television series Mahabharat. His career spanned over four decades, where Dheer worked extensively across film and television.

Apart from the television show Mahabharat, he was also known for his roles in popular television series like Chandrakanta, Bado Bahu, Sasural Simar Ka and others. In Bollywood, he delivered memorable performances in movies like Baadshah, Soldier, Zameen and others. The actor is survived by his wife, Anita Dheer; son, Niketan Dheer; daughter-in-law, Kratika Sengar; and granddaughter, Devika.

Niketan Dheer is also an actor and is popularly known for his role of Thangabali in the movie Chennai Express.

–IANS

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