Who was Nitesh Pandey, Anupamaa’s Dheeraj who starred in Om Shanti Om and Khosla Ka Ghosla, died of heart attack at 51?

Actor Nitesh Pandey passed away after suffering a heart attack on Wednesday. The actor, a widely popular face on TV and in flms, had worked in dozens of shows and films in a three-decade-long career. His sudden death at the age of 51 has left the industry in shock.

Nitesh Pandey’s films and TV shows

Pandey started his acting career in 1995 with the TV show Tejas and the film Baazi. He had earlier worked in theatre in the early 90s. After his screen debut, Nitesh Pandey went on to appear in a number of films and shows over the years. Currently, he was seen as Dheeraj in the popular Rupali Ganguly-starrer Anupamaa. On the big screen, he was last seen in last year's Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar-starrer Badhaai Do.

Nitesh Pandey’s early and personal life

Nitesh Pandey was born in 1972 and began acting in his teens. In 1998, he tied the knot with popular actress Ashwini Kalsekar but they separated a few years later and their divorce was finalised in 2002. The following year, Pandey married another TV actress Arpita Pandey. The couple lived in Mumbai.

How did Nitesh Pandey die?

The news of Pandey’s death was confirmed by his brother-in-law and filmmaker Siddharth Nagar. Nitesh's brother-in-law, filmmaker Siddharth Nagar, had earlier confirmed the news to ETimes, "Yes you have heard it right. My brother-in-law is no more, my sister Arpita Pandey is in a state of shock. Nitesh's father has left for Igatpuri to get his mortal remains. They should be here by the afternoon. We have gone absolutely numb, I have not been able to even talk to Arpita after the tragedy."