From plays in England to TV serials in India, from Punjabi movies to Hindi movies, from Hindi TV serials to Punjabi TV serials, from acting as a lead to acting as the father of leads, veteran actor, Shavinder Mahal, has been there done that in a career which started over three decades ago.

Born in village Bande Mahal Kalan in District Ropar, Mahal was an ardent fan of Hindi and Punjabi movies during his college days. Citing legendary actor Dharmendra as an inspiration, Mahal shifted to Mumbai in search of opportunities in the film industry. Like every actor does in Mumbai, he struggled for a fair amount of time before setting his feet in in the industry.

In 1984, Mahal made his debut in the Punjabi industry in S. S. Arora's 'Patwari'. Mahal was signed opposite Arpana Choudhary, Yogesh Chabra and Mehar Mittal. It is said that, originally, Satish Kaul was offered this role. Due to lack of dates, Kaul refused it. In 1988, he played a minor role in Satpaal's 'Do Waqt Ki Roti'. This movie connected him to people who suggested him to work in the Punjabi cinema again.

He worked as a dubbing artist in Ravinder Ravi's 'Anakh Jattan Di' (1990) and 'Badla Jatti Da' (1991). The following year, acting roles followed in 'Putt Jattan De' and 'Jora Jatt'. Soon, there was a spree of movies, some Hindi, the other Punjabi.

Meanwhile, Mahal had become a regular on TV. In 1988, he played the dual role portrayal of Parshuram and Lord Shiva in B.R. Chopra and Ravi Chopra's 'Mahabharat' and acted in Chetan Anand's Param Vir Chakkar. In 1990, he was signed for Sanjay Khan's 'The Sword of Tipu Sultan'. A couple of years later, he acted as Jarasandha in Ramanand Sagar's 'Krishna', an adaptation of the stories of the life of Lord Krishna.

In 1996, he made his debut as a director with the movie 'Panchhtawa'. In 1998, he acted in Balwant Dullat's 'Main Maa Punjab Dee'. The movie went on to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Punjabi.

Talking about the movies in the last decade, Mahal has played vital roles in Baljit Singh Deo's 'Jag Jeondeyan De Mele' (2009), Ksshitij Chaudhary's 'Heer Ranjha: A True Love Story' (2009), Navaniat Singh's 'Mel Karade Rabba' (2010), 'Dharti' (2011) and 'Rangeelay' (2013), Mandeep Kumar's 'Jihne Mera Dil Luteya' (2011) and 'Ambarsariya' (2016), Anurag Singh's 'Yaar Anmulle' (2011), Amitoj Maan's 'Gaddar: The Traitor' (2015) and Sukhbir Singh's 'Teshan'.

Mahal has also appeared in some Punjabi music videos. The Punjabi industry is privileged to have someone of his personality and experience with it. Irrespective of his role or its length, he is someone who dominates in front of the camera. He is an epitome of learning for the modern-day actors.