Gufi Paintal was born in Delhi to a middle-class family. |
His father originally lived in Lahore, Pakistan, before moving to Delhi and owning a studio. |
Since childhood, Gufi and his brother Kanwarjit enjoyed acting in shadow plays. |
Despite his father's wish for him to become an engineer, Gufi graduated in engineering. |
After graduation, he worked at Tata Engineering & Locomotive in Jamshedpur. |
During a defense emergency due to the China war, Gufi served in the army in Bihar. |
Later on, he transferred to Tata Engineering & Locomotive in Bombay. |
With his brother's help, Gufi entered the entertainment industry as an assistant director. |
He began with character roles in TV serials and movies. |
Gufi's acting debut was in 1978's "Dillagi" as Ganesh. |
Following this, he appeared in minor roles in several films. |
In 1988, he joined B. R. Films as a technical head and worked on the ads division. |
He gained fame as 'Shakuni' in the TV series "Mahabharat" while at B.R. Films. |
Aside from that, he also played 'Justice Raghunath' in "Kanoon." |
Some of his popular films include "Suhaag," "Maidan-E-Jung," and "Kaalo." |
For his role in "Mahabharat," Gufi was paid Rs. 3000 per episode. |
During his time in the Indian army, he often played 'Sita' in 'Ramleela' performances with his comrades. |
His first engineering salary was Rs. 7000 per month. |
In 2010, he became the head of Mumbai's Abbhinnay Acting Academy. |
In June 2023, Gufi was hospitalized in Mumbai for a chronic heart and kidney condition and passed away on 5th June 2023. |