Pankaj Dheer, best known for his iconic portrayal of Karna in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat, passed away on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 68. While Pankaj became a household name for playing Karna, not many know that he was initially offered the role of Arjuna. However, his stubbornness led BR Chopra to throw him out of his office — only to later call him back to play Karna.

In an old interaction with Lehren Retro, Pankaj had recalled the incident and shared how the makers loved his audition and offered him the role of Arjuna. He shared, “When I gave my audition, dialogue writers Rahi Masoom Raza, Bhring Tupkari sahab and Pandit Narendra Sharma ji had a panel together. They all thought that I would suit the role of Arjuna well. We shook hands on that and I signed the

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