Nitish Bhardwaj reveals why Gufi Paintal's Shakuni mama had a limp

Nitish Bhardwaj recalls working with the late actor Gufi Paintal and his friendship. They worked together in the popular TV show Mahabharat.

Nitish Bhardwaj has recalled how Gufi Paintal got him his iconic project - Mahabharat. Gufi, who died recently in a Mumbai hospital, worked with Nitish on the mythological show. Nitish played Krishna while Gufi essayed the role of Shakuni Mama. ()

Nitish Bhardwaj played Krishna while Gufi Paintal essayed the role of Shakuni Mama in Mahabharat.

Gufi Paintal helped co-stars

Gufi, who was admitted to the hospital on May 31 after his health worsened, died on June 5 and was cremated at the Oshiwara crematorium in Mumbai.

Nitish told News18 that he'd often take pictures to Gufi Paintal - the casting director of Mahabharat - and ask for work. "As struggling actors, we would take our pictures to him and tell him, ‘Gufi ji, kaam do, kaam do.’ He would say, ‘Haan yaar, kuch karta hoon… Ravi (Chopra; filmmaker) ji ke saamne photo rakhta hoon.’ While I was developing my character of Krishna, he along with Ravi Chopra was very appreciative of my work. Later, we developed a very good friendship." Nitish also revealed that Gufi was present for all the trials when he directed his first Marathi feature film.

Gufi's pain caused Shakuni's onscreen limp

Nitish also revealed that Gufi's limp in Mahabharat originated from his pain. "As Shakuni, he used to walk with a limp and the genesis of that was the fact that his hip was in pain. Ravi ji decided to use that injury as a physical trait for Shakuni’s character. He had to live through that injury to play his character and that was quite a big deal," he added. He also said Gufi was a simple and encouraging man who was very jovial and had a great friendship with Nitish.

Gufi's career

Gufi made his acting debut with Rafoo Chakkar in 1975. He was also seen in films such as Dillagi and Des Pardes. He also worked in TV shows such as Ssshhhh...Koi Hai, Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein and CID. Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu marked Gufi's directorial debut. He also made his mark as a casting director, assistant director, production manager, and director.