- Veteran actress Roopa Ganguly, who played ‘Draupadi’ in the TV serial ‘Mahabharat’, got emotional after hearing about Pankaj Dheer’s death on October 15, 2025. She remembered him as a well-mannered, soft-spoken gentleman and fondly called him ‘my most handsome friend’.
- Roopa recalls fond memories from the ‘Mahabharat’ set
- Roopa Ganguly’s acting career
Veteran actress Roopa Ganguly, who played ‘Draupadi’ in the TV serial ‘Mahabharat’, got emotional after hearing about Pankaj Dheer’s death on October 15, 2025. She remembered him as a well-mannered, soft-spoken gentleman and fondly called him ‘my most handsome friend’.
Roopa Ganguly, best known for her portrayal of ‘Draupadi’ in BR Chopra’s hit epic period drama show ‘Mahabharat’, opened up in an emotional conversation about her late co-actor Pankaj Dheer. The actor, who played Karna, breathed his last on October 15, 2025, after a long battle from cancer.
In a conversation with NDTV, the veteran actress Roopa Ganguly said, “I can’t imagine he left us at this age. I am so sorry to hear this. I don’t know what to say.” Roopa said shortly after receiving the news, which she first learned from Nitish Bharadwaj, their fellow Mahabharat co-star.
Though Roopa had been in contact with Pankaj via text messages as recently as a year ago, she confirmed he had never disclosed his illness to her. The revelation left her visibly shaken and emotional.
Roopa recalls fond memories from the ‘Mahabharat’ set
Reflecting on their time on set, Roopa recalled how Pankaj carried himself with quiet dignity. She said, “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.”
Roopa Ganguly’s acting career
The 58-year-old actress Roopa Ganguly has featured in several critically acclaimed television shows and films in her acting career so far. Her notable performances include ‘Mahabharat’ (1988-1990), ‘Barfi!’, ‘Krantikaal’, and ‘At the End of it All’. According to details available on IMDb, she was recently seen in the Bengali action film ‘Raghu Dakat’, alongside Anirban Bhattacharya, Sohini Sarkar and others.
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