Ratan Tata’s closest friend shared his room

Ratan Tata, renowned businessman, has been on good and close terms with a lot of celebrities. Due to the nature of his work, Tata was heavily involved in the glamorous and glitzy life of Bollywood, as well as the people there. While he was close with some of the biggest names in the industry, like Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, or Simi Garewel, there was one special someone that was close to Ratan Tata in a way no other person was.

Who was Ratan Tata’s closest friend from the world of Bollywood?

While you may have initially been thinking of the likes of Amitabh Bachchan or Rajesh Khanna, Ratan Tata’s closest friend was someone else completely. Tata had even previously shared a room with this actor and had gone out on picnics with him as well. This actor was none other than Gufi Paintal.The two came to know each other in their college years in Jamshedpur. Gufi and Ratan both were studying engineering from the same college and were even roommates in the hostel at the time! As per reports from IndiaDotCom, Paintal had once shared how proud and happy he is to be friends with Tata. The late actor had stated that "At that time, Ratan Tata had just returned from his training in the United States and was a few years older than me. He used to stay in Room No. 21 and was a very thorough gentleman. Coming from such a respected family, he is now the chief of Tata Group of Companies, and I feel proud as an Indian and a friend."The actor also recalled his days from college, reminiscing about how he and Ratan Tata used to regularly go for picnics during their years at college. He also talked about how they used to go for drives and how Ratan’s silver convertible Plymouth with a high-fidelity radio was impressive to him. He shared during the interview that "We would listen to English and Hindi songs, and sometimes there would be Binaka Geetmala."

Paintal recalls a touching memory with Ratan

Gufi Paintal in the interview also recalled an incident that occurred with Ratan Tata that might not have seemed like much but still left an impact on the late actor’s heart. He recalled that one day while he was out in Bandra and about to cross the road, a large car had pulled up in front of him. He fondly recalled the matter, sharing that it was Tata who had stopped and offered him a ride. He shared that "He kindly offered me a ride, but I replied, ‘No, Ratan, thank you so much. I’m just crossing the road; my car is on the other side.’ It was a fleeting moment, but it left a lasting impression on me."Gufi Paintal passed away in 2023 due to age-related health issues. The actor was well known in TV and cinema and starred in various projects like ‘Bahadur Shah Zafar’, ‘Mahabharat’, ‘Kanoon’, ‘Om Namah Shivay’, ‘CID’, ‘Ssshhhh Koi Hai’, ‘Dwarkadheesh Bhagwaan Shree Krishn’, ‘RadhaKrishn’, and ‘Jay Kaniya lal Ki’.