Dheer made his acting debut in 2008 with Ashutosh Gowariker's historical drama Jodhaa Akbar, in which he co-starred alongside Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as Sharifuddin Hussain, Akbar's brother-in-law. Whilst the film earned critical appreciation and box office success, Dheer received praise for his role, with noted critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama mentioning him as "fantastic". The same year he acted alongside Vivek Oberoi, Shriya Saran and Zayed Khan in Apoorva Lakhia's unremarkable action thriller Mission Istaanbul.