Gufi Paintal On How They Used The Expertise Of Cinema To Make 'Mahabharat'

The trend and madness surrounding the reruns of beloved epics continue to live on even though Ramayan ended recently.

Mahabharat is still running and people certainly cannot stop talking about it as much.

Actor Gufi Paintal who played the iconic character of Shakuni Mama, says they were chartering new grounds back in the day when it came to making the show.

In an interview with Times of India, he said, “When we shot 'Mahabharat', television had just entered India. Unlike foreign countries, where TV shows were popular, in India we were still struggling to make them. But then masters of cinema, like BR Chopra, came on board, and shot TV shows with the same pace and heart which they used to make cinema. Those masters knew what kind of emotions to give. They knew the right emotions, right pauses. The editing was smooth. They gave time for people to laugh and cry. But there were challenges, as TV was still a new field and it was different than cinema. In cinema, you shoot in light and see in the dark theatres. But on TV, this was not the case.”

However, they overcame the struggles and created an epic show whose legacy still stands. Talking about the negative character that he played, Gufi Paintal says that over the years, people have loved to hate him as Shamuki Mama. He reveals, “Amrishji (Amrish Puri) is known for playing Mogambo. Amjad bhai (Amjad Khan) is known for playing Gabbar Singh. In my case, it is Shakuni Mama’s role that I am remembered for. People love to hate me as the character. Shakuni Mama is like the tadka of the show. Saadi dal khaa kar maza nahi aata. You need some tadka to it. Also, characters like Shakuni are so well woven into the story that you become an integral part. Without you, the story does not move!”