'In the past 20 days, I’ve received everything from kids’ piggy banks to Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) through social media. I want to thank them for their sympathy. I also want to ask them to send their bank details. I just need time, but will pay them all back with respect.'
Key Points
- Rajpal Yadav held a press conference in Mumbai to highlight the cheque bounce case.
- The actor is fighting a dispute with one of his financiers named Madhav Gopal Agarwal.
- The actor claims that the whole issue is 'ego clash' and reveals that he is currently doing projects worth Rs 1,200 crore.
When Rajpal Yadav surrendered at Tihar Jail on February 5 in a Rs 9 crore (Rs 90 million) cheque bounce case, the news spread like wildfire. For an actor who built his career on laughter, the image of him walking into jail left his fans and well-wishers stunned.
After spending 12 days behind bars, the actor was granted interim bail and released on February 16.
Soon after, he faced the media in Mumbai alongside his lawyer, Bhaskar Upadhyay. Yadav looked serious, but when he began speaking, his voice was steady and emotional.
“This is not fraud. This is not a loan default,” Rajpal said firmly at the press conference. “This happened because of bad intentions.”
The case goes back to Rajpal Yadav's 2012 film Ata Pata Laapata
The case dates back to Rajpal Yadav's directorial debut Ata Pata Laapata that released and tanked in 2012. Businessman Madhav Gopal Agarwal of Murali Projects Pvt Ltd had invested Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million) in the film.
At the press conference, Rajpal described the agreement as informal and based on trust.
“It was a ghar ka masla,” he said. “There were no lawyers involved. It was just an understanding.
"Sometimes, you trust people’s words and relationships more than paperwork,” he reflected. “In my mind, I thought why would someone who gave Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million) in minutes ever file a case against me?”
He admitted that he signed documents without carefully reading them. “The money came to me first. I went to the Laxmi Nagar office (in northwest Mumbai) and blindly signed the papers without reading them. I made a mistake there,” he said.
According to the actor, the agreement was that after the film's release, the investor would receive Rs 8 crore (Rs 80 million) instead of Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million).
“Whatever remained would be mine,” Rajpal explained.
But the film reportedly earned only around Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million), and the financial expectations collapsed.
“I never imagined this would be dragged to court,” he said. “I have worked in over 250 films. Every agreement has loopholes. But I trusted the relationship more than the paperwork.”
WATCH: Rajpal Yadav shares his truth
'I am doing projects worth Rs 1,200 crore'
Rajpal Yadav went further, calling the dispute an ego clash.
“The person wants me to fall at his feet in return for Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million),” Rajpal claimed. “He doesn’t want money. If it was about money, I have been ready to pay since 2013.”
Amid the controversy, Rajpal also chose to speak about his future. In a surprising revelation, he said he has projects worth Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12 billion) lined up over the next seven years.
“In the next seven years, I have work of Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12 billion) for branding,” he said. “I have four agreements with me. Some projects are Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion), some are Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion). Some of it is fees and some are shares. I have 10 films in line.”
Among his upcoming films are projects with Akshay Kumar’s comedy entertainers Bhoot Bangla and Welcome to the Jungle. He has also launched his own YouTube channel, calling it “a new beginning.”
But it was his words about public support that brought a softer tone to the room.
“In the past 20 days, I’ve received everything from kids’ piggy banks to Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) through social media,” he said. “I want to thank them for their sympathy. I also want to ask them to send their bank details. I just need time, but will pay them all back with respect.”
He added emotionally, “I can never repay the debt of so many kids across the nation who stood with me.”
WATCH: How Rajpal Yadav stayed strong
© 2026