Page 42 - Seniorstoday June2023

Television
The engineer and army
gunner who gunned for
the Pandavas: Gufi Paintal
‘Shakuni Mama’ went to rock the Pandavas’ boat in Mahabharat and etched the
character in Indian television history, writes Dr S Ramachandran
The Shakuni Mama of BR Chopra’s epic
serial Mahabharat Gufi Paintal alias
Sarabjit Singh Paintal was three years
old and in Lahore when he was suddenly
yanked from his roots, put in a military
truck from Lahore and taken to India. By
the time they had reached the border town
of TarnTarn, young Sarabjit had seen
too many dead bodies to his comfort but
realized how important a role the army had
played in his life and wanted to wear the
fatigues as he grew up.
The option was to be an actor. But his
father – who had grown up as a cameraman
for the noted Punjabi filmmaker from
Pakistan Dalsukh M Pancholi at the
Pancholi Arts Studios - was not keen that
his son do any of that. “Back in the day,
we all had to do what our fathers wanted
us to do. There were very few options
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then. My father was keen that I take up
engineering. I was not someone who opened
his mind to my father back and though I
was disinterested, went on to do mechanical
engineering,” Gufi told this writer once.
Suddenly there was a clarion call
for Indians to join the army when the
unfriendly neighbours China and Pakistan
started skirmishes and then wars with
India and Gufi along with 59 others from
his college, left their studies to join the army
for a few years. “Back then patriotism had a
different meaning, we were a young country
free from the clutches of the British. A list
of patriotic stories were being imbibed into
us and hence we had to respond to the call
of joining the army and one of my childhood
ambitions was fulfilled,” he added.
Having said that, Gufi one met his uncle
- who retired later as a Lt General then