Actor Rajpal Yadav surrendered at Tihar Jail on February 5, following a cheque bounce case linked to an unpaid loan of approximately ₹9 crore. He was granted interim bail until March 18. He was released on February 17 after depositing ₹1.5 crore. The Delhi High Court had earlier rejected his request for more time to repay the amount.
In a recent interview on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel, Yadav addressed public speculation that he had the money but deliberately chose jail over repayment. He rejected this view, called the situation far more complex than it appeared, and questioned the intention of the producer who accused him of taking loans and not paying them back. He said he would fight till the end.
The origins of the dispute
As NDTV Cited to PTI, the legal trouble began in 2010. Yadav borrowed ₹5 crore from M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd to fund his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata. The film failed commercially, resulting in significant financial losses. Over the following years, interest, penalties, and delayed payments pushed the total outstanding amount to nearly ₹9 crore. Yadav issued multiple cheques to the lender to settle the dues. But all were dishonoured, triggering criminal proceedings under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
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Yadav's version of events
As per the YouTube video, Yadav claimed his total losses in the matter amounted to ₹17 crore. He argued the core issue was not simply an unpaid loan. "It's not about not being able to pay ₹5 crore. It's too early to speak on why I went to jail or whether I have the money or not. Had it just been a matter of ₹5 crore, it would have been resolved in 2012 itself, but because of this 5 crore, I have incurred losses of ₹17 crore. At that time, the matter was not in court when the person jeopardised my film worth ₹17 crore. After this person saw 70 percent of the film, he invested another ₹5 crore," he said.
He elaborated in the video, "₹5-7 crore were to be spent on the film's release, and the total production budget of the film was 22 crore. Even if you are an enemy, you would not stop the project from releasing, especially when 10 others have also invested money in it." He further stated, "We have been talking about the intention behind giving this ₹5 crore, and my intention was good. What was my fault?"
He also maintained that a film's failure at the box office does not amount to fraud. He alleged the producer blocked the release of Ata Pata Laapata, causing heavy losses. "A film that was supposed to release on over 1,000 screens, whose music album was inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan, was not even allowed to sustain for three days. He sank 22 crore by just doing a press conference; his intention was bad, which cost me 22 crore," he said.
Yadav vows to continue legal battle
Yadav said he had been making the same argument for ten years. "Since the last 10 years, I have been saying the same thing. The film had 200 artists, including Dara Singhji, but he made it an issue as if I owed him ₹50 crore and absconded with it. When he already had post-dated cheques, then why did he bring a stay order on the film's release? Soon after the High Court rejected their stay order, this party went and held an accusatory press conference. Because of this, the film could not be released on 200 screens either. I will keep fighting with him all my life over this intention; I won't go in for a settlement," he said in the YouTube video.
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The court later confirmed Yadav would not return to jail after he deposited a substantial amount toward the dues.
