Gufi Paintal, Shakuni Mama of BR Chopra’s Mahabharat, passes away at 78

Actor Gufi Paintal, best known for portraying the conniving Shakuni in BR Chopra’s iconic TV series Mahabharat, has passed away at the age of 78. The actor had been hospitalised last week after age-related ailments. Gufi, whose birth name was Sarabjeet, was the older brother of popular comedian and character actor Paintal.

Gufi Paintal was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai last week, something his nephew Hiten Paintal had confirmed speaking to the media on Friday. "He had blood pressure and heart issues. He was keeping unwell and all this was going on for a while. Things got severe now so we got him to the hospital for observation. He has been in the hospital for seven to eight days. He was critical initially, but right now he is stable," Hiten had told PTI. On Monday morning, after battling for over a week, Gufi Paintal succumbed to his illnesses. He was 78.

Born in Tarn Taran, Punjab in 1944, Gufi Paintal has studied to be an engineer and even qualififed to be one. He eventually followed his younger brother into the entertainment world when he arrived in Mumbai in 1969. He appeared in minor and supporting roles in several films in the 70s and 80s, most notably Dillagi and Des Pardes.

In 1988, he landed his most popular role, that of the Kaurava’s scheming uncle Shakuni in BR Chopra’s seminal TV show Mahabharat, based on the eponymous epic. The show was a huge hit and Paintal’s performance set the bar for the character’s depiction on screen for years to come. Gufi Paintal continued to work in TV and films through the 90s and the 21^st century. In his 70s, he began playing senior roles in mythological and historical TV shows with his last screen appearance coming as Vishwakarma in the 2022 TV show Jay Kanhaiya Lal Ki.