'Mahabharat' co-stars Mukesh Khanna, Pankaj Dheer remember Gufi Paintal

For the generation of viewers growing up in the late 1980s Gufi Paintal was a familiar face thanks to his role as the conniving Shakuni mama in BR Chopras epic TV serial MahabharatNot many know that the veteran actor who died on Monday following agerelated issues also played an important role in casting many of the key characters of the series He was 79It was Gufi Paintal said actor Mukesh Khanna who called him to audition for what would go on to become his careerdefining role of Bhishma in Mahabharat Their association which started with the classic Doordarshan serial also led to Khanna casting his costar in the 2013 TV film Hamara Hero Shaktimaan in the formers Shaktimaan franchiseI had a long relationship with him since lsquoMahabharatrsquo and I cast him in lsquoHamara Hero Shaktimaanrsquo in which he played Dr Jackal In lsquoMahabharatrsquo we had long confrontational scenes together which were beautifully written by Rahi Masoom Raza One of the most popular characters of lsquoMahabharatrsquo was Shakuni and he portrayed it so well Khanna told PTIAccording to the actor Gufi Paintal didnt want to be an actor even though his younger brother Paintal was in the same professionGufi Paintal was surprised when BR Chopra asked him to take up the role of Shakuni the king of Gandhara and an expert in the game of diceHe had joined BR Choprarsquos office and was casting for lsquoMahabharatrsquo Everyone was cast for Mahabharat except for the part of Shakuni mama and he was confused who Chopra sahab would cast for this role He was slightly taken aback when Chopra sahab said he should play it He took on the challenge and performed so well Khanna saidPankaj Dheer who essayed the character of Karn in Mahabharat remembered Gufi Paintal as a multitalented boyHe was the casting director of Mahabharat he was also an assistant I think he had also directed a few episodes of lsquoMahabharatrsquo I regarded him as a better director than an actor Later he directed me in a few series such as Kanoon and Beta for the Chopras on Doordarshan We also did a series called Akbar and Birbal Dheer told PTIThe late actor whose real name was Saravjit Singh Paintal was also a lyricist He loved writing songs and he has recorded a couple of songs as well He would recite poetry and would tell us about what he is doing This was one of his hobbies and he was very good at it added DheerGufi Paintal worked closely with Ravi Chopra who codirected Mahabharat with his father BR ChopraHe was an assistant to Ravi Chopra and he had a small cabin where he would have details about the character each actor would play Khanna recalled He also recounted an anecdote when Gufi Paintal was refused a seat in the train because of his onscreen avatarWe got in the first class compartment but we had bought a secondclass compartment ticket The ticket collector said Come Shakuni mama and Bhishma pitamaharsquo Once we got in we were waiting for a seat to be allotted to us While we were waiting one of the passengers said lsquoWe will accommodate Bhishma Pitamaha but not Shakuni mamarsquo I had told him this was happening because of his onscreen image Khanna saidDheer said Gufi Paintal was a good friend with whom he and costar Puneet Issar spent a lot of time together on set as the villainous trio of Shakuni Karn and DuryodhanHe was a good friend and we did most of the scenes together in Mahabharat As Shakuni he was very impressive Till date people try to copy him but they are not able to reach his style of performance It is a big loss for the industry he addedAlso ReadGufi Paintal of Mahabharat fame passes away at 79Gajendra Chauhan popular as the eldest Pandav brother Yudhishthir in Mahabharat expressed his gratitude towards the late actor for casting him in the serialWe shot for three years together We became family He was a close colleague We would meet often and we did stage shows together up until six months ago when his health started deteriorating We kept praying for him but God had a different decision We will pray for him and his soul Chauhan told PTIGufi Paintal is survived by his son daughterinlaw and a grandchildThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever