Mahabharat’s Shakuni Mama Gufi Paintal passes away at 78

Veteran actor Gufi Paintal passed away at the age of 78 on Monday, June 5 in Mumbai around 9 am. The late actor was famously known as Shakuni Mama from BR Chopra’s iconic TV serial Mahabharat (1988).

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As per reports, Gufi Paintal’s Nephew, Hiten Paintal along with Mahabharat co-star Surendra Pal confirmed the death of the actor. A few days ago, Gufi was admitted to a hospital in Andheri, Mumbai. He suffered from age-related health issues. Hiten told the news agency PTI, “Unfortunately, he is no more. He passed away at the hospital at around 9 am. His heart gave up. He passed away peacefully in his sleep,”

Gufi Paintal’s work profile…

The veteran actor has a diverse profile of work and has showcased his talent in both TV and movies. Gufi entered Bollywood with his debut in 1975 with the film Rafoo Chakkar. He further appeared in movies like Dillagi, Desh Pardesh, and Suhaag.

However, Gufi bagged the role of Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra’s all-time iconic Mahabharat. This aired from the year 1988 to 1990. He was last seen in the Star Bharat’s show Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki (2021-2022).

But, his talent was not only limited to television and movies. He has also worn the director’s hat with a few TV shows and a movie Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Gufi served in a war…

In an interview with Dainik Bhaskar, Gufi Paintal shared his life story about serving his time in the war. He said, “When the Indo-China war was going on in 1962, I was studying engineering. Army recruitment was going on in the college even during the war. I always wanted to join the Army. I was posted in the Army Artillery on the China border.”

“There was no TV and radio for entertainment at the border, so we (army soldiers) used to perform Ramleela at the border. I used to play the role of Sita in Ramleela and a person disguised as Ravana used to come on a scooter and kidnap me. I was fond of acting, and got some training from it,” he added.

We offer our sincere condolences to the family. May his soul rest in peace!

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