Mahabharat’s Shakuni Mama aka Gufi Paintal passes away

Gufi Paintal, widely known for his role as Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra’s TV drama Mahabharat (1980), died on Monday in Mumbai owing to age-related health difficulties. He was 79.

“With profound grief, we announce the sad demise of our father Mr Gufi Paintal (Shakuni Mama),” the actor’s family announced in a statement. He died quietly this morning, surrounded by his family.”

Gufi’s nephew Hiten Paintal told indianexpress.com, “He passed away today around 9 am. He had a heart failure. He was 79 years old.”

Gufi Paintal had been unwell for a long time and was admitted to the hospital on May 31 after his health condition worsened.

Besides being an actor, Gufi also directed a few TV shows and a movie titled Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. With BR Films, he also worked as an associate director, casting director and production designer.

The actor was the brother of popular comedian Paintal, who starred in films like Satte Pe Satta, Rafoo Chakkar, Parichay and others.

Some of Gufi’s acting credits include films Dillagi (1978), Des Pardes (1978), Daava (1997), and Samrat & Co (2014). He essayed the role of Akshay Kumar’s maternal uncle in the 1994 movie Suhaag. Besides Mahabharat, he also starred in TV shows like Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap, Mrs Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein, Karmaphal Daata Shani and Karn Sangini.