Initially trained as an engineer, he joined the Indian Army during the Sino-Indian War in 1962.

While on the border, a folk play of Ramlila was conducted in which he performed the role of Sita, from where he became interested in acting.

Then he came to Bombay where his younger brother Paintal (who had been trained at the Film and Television Institute of India) was trying his career in acting.

His most well-known role is that of Mama (Maternal Uncle) Shakuni in the adaptation of Mahabharat by B.R.

[6] In 2010 he was appointed head of facility at the Abbhinnay Acting Academy in Mumbai, a school established by his Mahabharata co-star Pankaj Dheer.