Gufi Paintal Death: From serving in Army to playing Sita in Ramleela, lesser-known facts about the actor

Veteran actor Gufi Paintal, best known for playing Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra's Mahabharat, passed away on June 5

His cremation will take place on Monday (June 5) evening in Mumbai

Gufi Paintal had been unwell for a long time. He was admitted to the hospital on May 31 after his health condition worsened

Take a look at some rare and lesser known facts about the late actor:

Gufi Paintal appeared in many films and TV shows in the 1980s. However, he became a household name after playing Shakuni Mama

Before making his acting debut, Gufi Paintal was in the Army during the Indo-China war in 1962

He had said in an interview, "At the border, we used to perform Ramleela. I used to play the role of Sita and a person disguised as Ravana used to come on a scooter and kidnap me"

Gufi Paintal reportedly came to Mumbai in 1969 and worked as an assistant director in many films

He worked as a casting director in Mahabharata, however, the writer had advised him to play the role of Shakuni

He was seen in TV shows including Bahadur Shah Zafar, Kanoon, Om Namah Shivay, CID, Ssshhhh...Koi Hai, Dwarkadheesh Bhagwaan Shree Krishn, RadhaKrishn and Jay Kaniya lal Ki among others

He made his debut with the 1975 film Rafoo Chakkar. Following this, he appeared in films, including Dillagi, Desh Pardesh, and Suhaag