Pankaj Dheer's family went bankrupt due to father's unexpected commitment
- By Web Desk -
- Oct 16, 2025
Veteran actor Pankaj Dheer’s sudden passing has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and his millions of fans.
The veteran actor, who was reportedly battling cancer, died on October 15 in Mumbai. While many celebrated his illustrious career, few were aware of the significant loss his family endured due to a promise made by his father to actress Geeta Bali on her deathbed.
Pankaj Dheer’s father, CL Dheer, was a well-known filmmaker. In a past interview with Lehren Retro, Pankaj recounted how his family lost everything because of a commitment made by Geeta Bali in 1965. The film “Raano”, which starred Dharmendra and Geeta Bali, was set to be produced by CL Dheer and Geeta as co-producers. However, the project was ultimately shelved.
Pankaj explained that as filming neared completion, Geeta suggested filming her scenes last. Unfortunately, just three days before she was scheduled to shoot, she contracted smallpox while in Punjab. Pankaj said, “Almost 6-7 days of work were left. Geeta suggested he could finish everything else and film her scenes at the end. The entire film was ready; only three days of her scenes remained. You can call it bad luck… she got infected with smallpox”.
Tragically, Geeta Bali did not recover, and on her deathbed, she asked CL Dheer to promise that he would shelve the film after her passing. Despite attempts from the legends like Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari to convince CL Dheer to complete the film, he remained firm in his commitment.
Pankaj recalled, “Dilip saab suggested that he would come on screen and plead with the audience to accept Meena Kumari in Geeta’s role. But my father insisted that this film is gone with Geeta. All the money invested was lost”.
The devastating turn of events plunged the family into financial hardship, prompting Pankaj to start working as a teenager to support them. Despite the challenges, he remained determined and carried forward his father’s legacy. Pankaj Dheer, who hailed from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, made his cinematic debut in 1983 with “Sookha” and gained fame for his iconic role as ‘Karan’ in “Mahabharat”. His son, Nikitin Dheer, has also followed in his footsteps, becoming a successful actor in his own right.