Puneet Issar Visited Mahabharat Co-star Gufi Paintal On June 1, Says 'He Was A Fighter' | Exclusive

Filmmaker BR Chopra’s 1988 show Mahabharat became an instant hit on television and has remained etched in the minds of the audience till date. It was the first project that brought actors Puneet Issar and Gufi Paintal together. While the former played Duryodhan, Paintal – who was also the casting directors of the show – played Shakuni mama in it. In 2013, they again collaborated on a film titled Mahabharat Aur Barbareek, where they reprised their respective characters from the television series. A few years back, the duo worked together in the play Mahabharata – The Epic Tale, which was written and directed by Issar.

As Paintal breathed his last today, Issar exclusively speaks to News18 and says, “I cannot put my feelings into words because how much ever I talk about Gufi saab, it is always going to be less. I can’t believe he is gone. He was a fighter and full of life. I feel fortunate that he was a part of my play Mahabharat: The Epic Tale which was narrated from Duryodhan’s perspective. When I told him that he had to play Shakuni mama, a character that was synonymous with him, he instantly agreed. I just feel blessed that we did 80 shows together.”

Issar reveals that he recently went to visit him at the hospital. “I had gone to see him in hospital on June 1 just before I flew to Delhi to perform our play last weekend. He was in coma and I felt numb seeing him in that state,” he says.

The Kashmir Files actor further tells us that despite Paintal’s ill-health, he kept going and put his best foot forward to perform shows. “The last time he performed on stage was on January 29. Throughout the last year, his health wasn’t keeping well, so he would be in and out of hospital. But his commitment to work was simply commendable. Our play was three hours long and sometimes we would do two shows in a day and he would stand and perform like no one else. He was one actor who would surely get whistles and claps on his entry and in the end would always get a standing ovation from the audience,” Issar recalls.

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Revisiting their Mahabharat shoot days, he adds, “When the show was telecast on Doordarshan, our jodi of mama-bhanja (Shakuni mama and Duryodhan) was a big hit among the audience. Whenever we would go out, people would call us Shakuni mama and Duryodhan and not our real names. Over the years, whenever we collaborated, it was always a learning experience.”

Giving us a sneak peek into one of Paintal’s hidden talents, Issar shares, “Not many people are aware that he was an amazing writer and had a knack for writing shayaari and poetries. He also had an amazing sense of humour and on sets, he would entertain everyone.”

So, how would he want to remember his friend and peer? “As a person, he was always ready to learn. Whenever I would talk to him, I would see a childlike quality in him but at the same time, he was a kind and caring person and was always open to suggestions. My heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace,” says Issar.

Paintal died on Monday (June 5) at the age of 78. He was hospitalised for undisclosed health reasons and was reportedly in critical condition. He is survived by his son, daughter-in-law and a grandchild. His nephew Hiten Paintal had said that the actor had been suffering from heart issues and blood pressure. The last rites will be held today at around 4 pm at a crematorium in suburban Andheri.