Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav was recently granted interim bail in a ₹9 crore debt and cheque bounce case. While the actor was lodged in Tihar Jail, several industry figures, including Sonu Sood and Salman Khan, reportedly stepped forward to offer financial support. Director Priyadarshan had also revealed that he asked the producers of his next film to pay Rajpal more than his usual fee and attributed the actor’s troubles to his “poor education”. Rajpal has now responded to that remark.
Rajpal Yadav responds to Priyadarshan’s ‘poor education’ remark
In an interview with Screen, Rajpal addressed Priyadarshan’s comment and said, “This is completely wrong. Priyanji doesn’t know me. I am a well-educated man. I have been working from the age of 11 to 55. Even the biggest stalwarts land in trouble at some point, but that has nothing to do with their education. Had I been poorly educated, I wouldn’t have survived here for 25–30 years.”
He added, “I respect three directors a lot — Mr Ram Gopal Verma, David Dhawan and Priyadarshan. I look up to them. I have done more than 50 films with just the three of them. Poor education doesn’t apply here because there is another intention. I am like Priyanji’s son. Whenever he asks, I am ready to prove myself as an actor for a lifetime. But Priyanji or anyone from Bollywood doesn’t know the whole story, so any judgments from them don’t hold value.”
What Priyadarshan had said
In an interview with Mid-Day, Priyadarshan had spoken about Rajpal’s legal troubles and said, “I have known Rajpal for over 20 years. I saw him for the first time in Jungle (2000) and was surprised by his performance. My first film with him was Malamaal Weekly (2006), and after that, he has starred in most of my films. I told the producers (Jubilee Films) of my next to pay Rajpal more than what he charges because of his situation. We want to save him. The producers have agreed. Rajpal plays the villain in my movie. I knew about his problem. That’s why I kept signing him for every film. I pushed him in ad films too. The poor guy made a blunder because of his poor education. Rajpal is a good soul.”
All about Rajpal Yadav’s ₹9 crore debt case
The trouble began when Rajpal took a loan of ₹5 crore from Delhi-based Murli Projects Pvt Ltd in 2010 to fund his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata (2012). The film failed at the box office, leaving him unable to repay the loan. The matter escalated into a legal battle, and in April 2018, a magisterial court convicted him and his wife under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. After seven cheques issued to the complainant bounced, the actor was sentenced to six months of simple imprisonment.
By 2025, Rajpal had deposited ₹75 lakh through two demand drafts. However, the court observed that a significant portion of the liability remained unpaid. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed the actor to surrender and rejected his last-minute plea for a one-week extension to arrange funds. Rajpal then surrendered and was sent to Tihar Jail on February 5. He was later granted interim bail until March 18, subject to furnishing a bail bond of ₹1 lakh and depositing ₹1.5 crore with the complainant.
