Charrul Malik remembers Gufi Paintal: He was the first person who encouraged her to become an actor

Charrul Malik, who is part of Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai! and Happu Ki Ultan Paltan, will never forget her first meeting with Gufi Paintal. The veteran actor, best remembered as Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat passed away on June 5 at the age of 79.
Recalling her first meeting with the late actor, Charrul says, “I was an anchor before I turned actor. In my very first show, I was made to co-host it with Gufi Paintal sir.It also featured Pankaj Tripathi. Imagine the state of a cub anchor who is told to host a show with someone as senior and accomplished as Gufi sir. Mere hosh udd gaye the kyunki woh itne bade aur popular actor the. I kept looking at him in awe after he arrived for the shoot and wondering how I would go about anchoring the show with a seasoned actor like him. He gauged my nervousness and told me to get rid of my fears. He told me to chill, be myself and believe that I was the best. Just like that the ice was broken and I could host the show with ease.”
She adds, “He was the opposite of his mean screen image of Shakuni Mama. He was warm towards people and very chilled out. He was an extremely sharp observer of people and a gem of a person.”
During her anchoring days, Gufi Paintal suggested that she tried her luck in acting. “He was the first person to tell me to get into acting. He probably saw what I didn’t see in myself. He told me to move to Mumbai and start acting. I didn’t know back then that I would eventually turn to acting,” she shares.
She bumped into him at a couple of parties and was always charmed by his warmth and humility. She says, “I last met him at a party last year. He told me, ‘Newswaali tum kamaal ho, kya Hindi hai tumhari!’ He always appreciated and motivated me. His humility often surprised me. I learnt a lot from him, and he shared a couple of tips with me, which were to be and take your time to get into the skin of a character. I will always miss him.”