Where Is Gufi Paintal? Punjabi Man Who Played Shakuni In BR Chopra’s Mahabharat

Know all about Punjabi man- Gufi Paintal who played the iconic role of Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra's Mahabharat.

We have grown up watching BR Chopra’s Mahabharat and Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan on DD National. In an era when TV sets were a thing of luxury and were owned by very few, the actors of Ramayan and Mahabharat gained massive popularity and were worshipped like gods. Meanwhile, people who played antagonists in these shows received hatred. Arvind Trivedi and Gufi Paintal were so convincing as Ravan in Ramayan and Shakuni Mama in Mahabharat respectively that they were at the receiving end of the innocent audience’s hatred who believed that they were evil souls. Decades have passed and all these actors have grown old, while we have also lost some. Today, let’s know about Gufi Paintal, the man who played the memorable role of Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat.

Who is Gufi Paintal?

Sarabjeet “Gufi” Paintal was born in a Sikh family in 1944 in Tarn Taran, Punjab. He is the brother of actor and comedian Kanwarjit Paintal. Gufu studied engineering but later followed the path of his younger brother who took the training at Film and Television Institute of India. Gufi came to Mumbai in 1969 and started his career as a model. He also worked as an assistant director for movies.

Gufi Paintal rose to fame when he bagged the role of Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat. He was allegedly also the casting director of the show. Mahabharat aired from 1988 to 1990 and Gufi became widely popular.

He then went on to work in TV shows like Kanoon, Om Namah Shivay, Akbar Birbal, Mrs Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein etc. Gufi also played the role of Akshay Kumar’s Mama (maternal uncle) in his 1994 film Suhaag.

Where is Gufi Paintal these days?

Gufi was last seen in Star Bharat’s show Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki in which he played the role of Vishwakarma in the year 2021 and 2022. He is currently 78 years old and lives in Mumbai. The actor is currently admitted to a hospital due to heart and kidney-related problems. His health is said to be critical and his brother, actor-comedian Paintal urged everyone to keep him in their prayers. 

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