Veteran television actor Pankaj Dheer, best known for playing Karna in BR Chopra's Mahabharat, passed away on Wednesday after a prolonged battle with cancer, his co-star Arjun Feroz Khan has confirmed. He was 68.

Arjun Feroz Khan portrayed the character of Arjun in the widely-popular series. Sharing a few pictures with Pankaj on his Instagram stories, he wrote, “...will miss you PD. Stay blessed.”

Dheer’s cremation will be held later in the day.

Hailing from Punjab, the television veteran made his debut as an actor in the 1980s during which he featured in minor roles in several films.

However, his big break was in 1988 when he was cast as Karna in the television series adaptation of Mahabharata. Following that, he shot to fame and featured in films like Sadak, Sanam Bewafa and Aashik Awara.

Dheer is also known for his role in the TV series Chandrakanta, loosely based on Devaki Nandan Khatri's 1888 novel of the same name. In the show, he portrayed Shivdutt, the king of the fictional kingdom of Chunargarh.

Some of his other important works also include Shah Rukh Khan’s Badshah, Bobby Deol’s Soldier, Akshay Kumar’s Andaz and Ajay Devgn’s Zameen and Tarzan.

He starred in several daily soaps in the late 2000s including Teen Bahuraaniyaan, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and Sasural Simar Ka.

Dheer is survived by wife Anita Dheer and son, actor Nikitin Dheer.