Stars Life After DD's '‘Mahabharat’'

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It is no secret how Mahabharat is currently running strongly on Doordarshan with huge numbers and many were rather surprised to see a then-teenage Raghavan in the show.


Courtesy : Times of India

Having already spawned a fantastic career on the small screen and has been a part of multiple iconic shows over the years, little did we know that actor Sumeet Raghavan was a part of history too.

Don't get too perplexed thinking that as Raghavan, a surprise to many, was a part of the cult show Mahabharat back then. Yes! That's right. It is no secret how Mahabharat is currently running strongly on Doordarshan with huge numbers and many were rather surprised to see a then-teenage Raghavan in the show.

He played the role of Krishna’s friend, Sudama on the show. While he was just 16 years old back then, the actor shares that he had no inkling that the show will create history. In an interview with Times of India, Raghavan said, “I was very young when I bagged the role, and as excited as any new kid on the block. I was quite skinny at the time, probably that’s why I got the role! (laughs). We had barely shot for 3 to 4 days and I remember shooting the Sandipani Ashram portions in Film City and the rain dance sequence at Chena creek. Back then, I did not realize that I was going to be a part of history. But I do remember seeing Mukesh ji and Nitish ji on the set. They were in their prime then, and I was completely in awe of them."

He also adds, “Once the episodes were aired again, there was a flurry of questions on my social media. People were taking screenshots of the episode tagging me, asking, ‘Is this you? We never knew you were a part of this epic show!’ I am happy that I got to work with such revered actors and be a part of a classic like Mahabharat."

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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.


Courtesy : Dainik Bhaskar

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!”

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Gufi Paintal who played the role of Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra's Mahabharat spoke about his memories from the sets, his character and much more.



Gufi Paintal who played the role of Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra's Mahabharat spoke about his memories from the sets, his character and much more.
Mahabharat has again become massively popular, now that it is airing on COLORS. What is it about the show that makes it such a hit?

I am quite happy that Mahabharat is back on COLORS. I have also played a very interesting role as Vishwakarma in another wonderful serial on COLORS called Karmaphal Daata Shani. I believe that mythological shows are a great way of getting some good life lessons and keeping yourself motivated during the lockdown.

Can you share your most special memory from the show?
When Mahabharata was airing in the late eighties, I used to get thousands of letters from the Mahabharat fans. A letter I remember was from a gentleman who threatened me! He said I should stop doing evil deeds or he would break my legs! The special thing about those days was the fact that people were so innocent back then and thought that I was Shakuni Mama in real! People loved to hate me because of my character. Also, to single out any one memory would be tough as there were just so many amazing memories of working with the cast. They all are memories of life.

Tell us something about your character, did the audience like your character back then?
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 because of my character. Shakuni Mama was like the tadka of the show. We all know ‘Saadi dal khaa kar maza nahi aata’ – we all need some tadka to it. Also, characters like Shakuni are so well woven into the story that they become an integral part. Without them, the story does not move!

Tell us about how you were cast in the show. Did you feel that this show would go on to be such a massive hit?
I was the auditioning director, so I conducted auditions for almost all the characters. As far as my casting was concerned, I had played Lord Metclaff in a serial just before Mahabharat called Bahadur Shah Zafar. In it, Ashok Kumar played the leading role and I was the only antagonist. Taking a lead from there, I was casted to play as Shakuni. I feel very honored and happy that I got to play a role that gave me space to show my talent as an actor. While I did not have the idea that it was going to be such a massive hit, I also know that this show will always be special to me because of all the amazing people working on the show especially BR Chopra.

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Satish Kaul who is known for playing the character of Lord Indra in BR Chopra’s ‘Mahabharat’ is in need of Money.



Satish Kaul who is known for playing the character of Lord Indra in BR Chopra’s ‘Mahabharat’ is in need of Money.

Actress Priti Sapru spoke to the Times of India about the actor's condition. Satish Kaul who was a popular name of the Television and Punjabi Film industry years ago had suffered a financial blow after his acting school was shut. According to the portal, the actor now doesn't have even enough money to meet his basic expenses.

Actress Priti Sapru, who has constantly stayed in touch with Satish Kaul said that she is aware of the situation because he calls her whenever he is in distress. He is now staying with a nurse who used to take care of him in an old-age home.

Preeti even tried to raise funds for him and wrote to the government of Punjab, as he worked in the Punjabi film industry. The Punjab government gave him Rs 5 lakh and others helped him too. The actress blames him only for his foolishness of not saving money at that time due to which he is now totally dependent on others.

After lockdown, Priti is planning to visit the old age home where Satish used to live and she will ask them about the issue and why he left and will also request them for discount. She wanted him to go back to the old age home and she will be taking care of the expenses while he stays there comfortably.

Priti also clarifies that Satish’s wife and son didn't leave him after he hit a rough patch.

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Pankaj Dheer who played the role of Karna in Mahabharat opened up on his character, love received from the fans and shared some interesting anecdotes from the sets. Have a look:



With the re-run of one of the most iconic mythological shows, Mahabharat, families have come together to relive the show. Pankaj Dheer who played the role of Karna in the show opened up on his character, love received from the fans and shared some interesting anecdotes from the sets. Have a look:

What is it about Mahabharat that makes it so popular even today?
This is one of the most beautifully written Granth. There are 26 relationships between people, and the Mahabharata tackles all the relationships that human beings know of. The most beautiful part of it is that this is the only Granth that teaches you what not to do. When it comes to Mahabharat the show, one should keep in mind that this was a great combination which got created. This was an assembly of great minds. We had great writers like Pandit Narendra Sharma collaborating with Rahi Masoom Reza backed by BR Chopra and Ravi Chopra. Also, the casting was amazing. It was very peculiar. You cannot think of another Shakuni or Bheeshma or Krishna or Duryodhan. Even today when you watch it on COLORS, all the things that worked back in the day, are working. Mahabharat is a show that transcends all.

Your role as Karna has been much appreciated. How did you work on the character?
We did not have any reference for Karna. There was just one film that was made on Mahabharat which was a 2-hour film in which a very inconsequential actor played Karna. So, how would Karna walk, talk or sit was something we did not know? How would he deal with a situation? So, all these things were discovered by me as an actor using my intellect. Not to forget that I had two very dramatic characters next to me which were Duryodhan and Shakuni. Between them, even if I would be melodramatic, it would be odd. So, I had to underplay the role of Karna. I played it in a massive restraint which worked for me. People loved me for it. That created sympathy. Also, there were so many actors in the cast, whenever you got a scene or a moment, you had to make it count. It was a lot of healthy competition on the set of Mahabharat. Also, everything was against us. We did not have digital cameras. There were no special effects or graphics. There was no modern equipment. All these things that go to make a show very pretty and beautiful and massive like Baahubali. So, without all that, with a very normal video camera, we shot on a trial and error method. That speaks volumes of all that went into making the Mahabharat.

What sort of appreciation have you received for playing Karna?
People have loved me and adored me over the years. It goes to show that I have merited it. Even in the history books of school, if they have a reference to Karna, they have my picture there. So, as long as these books will be printed in school, I will always be their reference as Karna. I also have two temples where there is Puja done every day. I am worshipped there in Karna mandir. I have been to those temples. One is in Karnal and one is in Bastar. There is an eight-feet tall statue of mine, and people come there and worship it. When I go there, people love me from the bottom of their hearts. This goes to show that they have accepted me as Karna. This becomes very difficult for others to play that role again. I have been offered a lot of roles in other versions of Mahabharat, but I refused it. I have played Karna and that is it for me. It is not about money. I can make money otherwise. But I don’t want to confuse my fans. It won’t be justice to my fans.

Can you recall any anecdote from Mahabharat?
It’s interesting to know how Samay’s (Harish Bhimani) character was created. It was Dr. Rahi Masoom Raza who took the call. At first, everyone was considering a lot of other actors as the narrator, but the makers could not decide on whether to have a narrator in the physical form. That was when Rahi saab came up with the idea of Samay, or time itself, as the narrator. That became the trump card. These were simple but truly great ideas. It is like a Eureka moment of Archimedes. It was a simple idea that worked. It was a brilliant move to have an interesting voice play the role of time.