Pankaj Dheer's Family Lost Everything Due To Father's Promise To Geeta Bali, 'Money Was Gone..'

Pankaj Dheer's sudden demise left the entire industry in shock, including his millions of fans. According to reports, the veteran actor was fighting cancer. He passed away on October 15, 2025, in Mumbai. While fans are remembering his prolific work, few know that his family suffered a huge loss due to his father's promise to an actress on her deathbed.

Pankaj Dheer once revealed how his family lost everything after his father promised an actress

Pankaj Dheer's father, CL Dheer, was a renowned filmmaker. Once, in an interview with Lehren Retro, Pankaj revealed that his family lost everything due to Geeta Bali, who took a promise from her father on her deathbed in 1965. Pankaj shared that the making of a film called Raano, which starred Dharmendra and Geeta Bali in the lead, was shelved due to the veteran actress. 

Pankaj revealed that his father and Geeta were co-producers in the film, and had invested an equal amount of money. However, during the last leg of the shoot, Geeta Bali suggested that she shoot her scenes last. The entire film was read, but just three days before Geeta Bali's shooting, she contracted smallpox in Punjab. Pankaj recalled:

"Almost 6-7 days of work was left so Geeta Bali suggested that he could finish everything else, and finish the rest of her scenes at the end. The entire film was done and ready, just 3 days of Geeta Bali’s scenes were left. You can call it bad luck… Geeta Bali got infected with smallpox in Punjab."

Pankaj revealed that the veteran actress couldn't recover, and on her deathbed, she asked for a promise that after her passing away, CL Dheer would shelve the film. While Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari tried to convince the producer to finish the rest of the shoot and release the film, CL Dheer was adamant about keeping his word. 

Pankaj revealed that Dilip Kumar further suggested that he would shoot a special message and ask the audience to accept Meena in Geeta's role. But his father knew that the film would go away with Geeta. The family suffered a lot as all their invested amount went zero. He shared:

"Dilip saab suggested that I will come on the screen and plead with the audience that after the tragedy with Geeta Bali, you have to accept Meena Kumari in this role. But my father was insistent that this film is gone with Geeta. So all the money that was invested, it was gone. My father went into a shell after that. After this, our family went through a tough time."

It was due to this tragedy that the family lost a lot of money, and to recover, Pankaj had to start working as a teenager. He wanted to support his family after the financial loss, and they were never able to recover from it fully. However, Pankaj Dheer's determination helped him throughout his life, and he took forward his father's legacy. And his son, Nikitin Dheer, also followed in his footsteps and became an even bigger actor with his work. 

More about Pankaj Dheer

Pankaj Dheer hailed from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. His father was a famous director in Hindi cinema. And just like his father, Pankaj also wanted to follow in his footsteps, but god had bigger plans for him. In 1983, he got his debut film, Sookha. After which, he got his iconic role of 'Karan' in Mahabharat. By the 1980s and early 1990s, Pankaj Dheer had played many character roles. 

What do you think about Pankaj Dheer's father's promise to the late actress, Geeta Bali, on her deathbed, which cost them huge money?

Next Read: Pankaj Dheer's Most Iconic Roles: 'Karna' In BR Chopra's Mahabharat, King 'Shivdutt' In Chandrakanta

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