Without the mask of make-up, Gufi Paintel looks nothing like the calculating mama Shakuni he played in Mahabharat. Actually, one would hardly notice him in a really crowded room, and it has nothing to do with his height. For a man who says he always wanted to work behind the camera, such instant recognition is unimportant. And those who thought he was making his debut as a director with the serial Maharana Pratap (now on DD1) are wrong: as Gufi Paintel reveals, he's been in the business of making serials for quite a while.Excerpts from an interview with Anuradha Nagaraj:
Why this shift to directing?
I trained to be a director. Acting was just incidental. For the record, Maharana Pratap is not my directorial debut. In 1977 I directed Ser Pe Sava Ser, a comedy for Doordarshan. Ever since, I have regularly been making ad-films and a few serials.
This comes as a surprise, since most people only associate you as an actor and the man who played Shakuni...
True, but there is more to me. I
spent a lot of time assisting great directors like B.R.Chopra and Rahul Rawail. Also, I directed the popular Ek Se Badkar Ek and an 18-episode serial, Chuuni, which was critically acclaimed in England.
What do you prefer -- life behind the camera or in front of it?
Directing is my first love. I enjoy that more than anything, even acting. In cases where I both direct and act, the director always scores. To let you in on a small secret: an actor always make a good director.
Why did you choose to do an epic and why Maharana Pratap?
An epic is very challenging. It gives you a chance to explore all your talents, paint a picture on a bigger canvas. Since the producers came to me with the prospect of making a serial on Maharana Pratap, I said why not.
The serial is being shot at real locales. Is that a problem?
Real locales are the real thing. They inspire you. I get a kick out of putting actors in garbs, placing them in these forts and closing my eyes and thinking of how life was in
yesteryears. And when I direct, I believe that there are people watching me from the ramparts of the forts.
What do you focus on while directing?
Human emotions. I concentrate all my energies in trying to get the actors to emote.
Has the Shakuni tag ever bothered you?
An actor without an image cannot do anything. People have to associate a face with a character to start with. The image then permits actors to experiment with characters, so that they can break out of the mould. I played a judge in Kanoon and was appreciated as much as Shakuni.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
