When Rajpal Yadav Opened Up About Directing Ata Pata Laapata That Left Him In ₹9 Crore Debt: Financier Ke Pote Ko Hero Banana Tha...

Comic actor Rajpal Yadav has surrendered at Tihar Jail on February 5 in connection with cheque dishonour cases. This came after the Delhi High Court rejected his final attempt to avoid imprisonment in a series of cheque dishonour cases and directed that he must surrender to the jail authorities before any further hearing could be held. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 12.

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Rajpal has been arrested after he failed to comply with the surrender deadline fixed by the Court, following repeated violations of undertakings regarding payment of settlement amounts to the complainant company. The senior lawyer appearing for the actor submitted that he was ready to deposit ₹25 lakh immediately and that both parties had tentatively agreed on a repayment schedule for the remaining dues. However, the Court declined to grant any relief, observing that Rajpal had already been directed to surrender on February 4.

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What's the case against Rajpal Yadav?

The legal trouble started in 2010 when Rajpal Yadav borrowed ₹5 crore from M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd to finance his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata. The film failed at the box office after releasing in 2012, leading to major financial losses. Over time, interest, penalties and delayed payments caused the outstanding amount to rise to nearly ₹9 crore. To settle the dues, Rajpal issued multiple cheques to the lender. However, these cheques were dishonoured, triggering criminal proceedings under the Negotiable Instruments Act.

Rajpal Yadav clarifies about the movie's failure and the case against him

An old video of Rajpal talking about the case has also gone viral as he continues to be in jail. When asked he took money to make the movie and "didn't return it", the Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 star said, "Liye nahi gaye. Invest kiye the unhone financer ke taur pe. Unko apne pote ko hero banana tha. Main Ata Pata Laapata ka director kabhi nahi tha. Main director na hoon aur na rahunga. Main ek actor hoon. Agar koi cricketer hai toh aap 95 match cricket khelte ho aur 5 kabhi kabhi aap football khel lete ho. Mere liye yeh ek creative experiment tha ki 70 mm pe ek musical chaos... jaise America mein chalta hai Broadway... use kaise 70 mm pe leke aaoon. Uski ek koshish chal rahi thi aur usmein 200 abhinetaaon ne aur 2500 public ne kaam kiya tha. I think Ata Pata Laapata logon ke liye kya woh hai ki Rajpal ne kya Ata Pata Laapata banayi? Agar Rajpal ne Ata Pata Laapata nahi banayi hoti toh hum iss duniya se upar chale jate hum yeh duniya nahi samajh pate. Ata Pata puch ke jab pata milta hai na. Ata Pata Laapata mere jeevan ka pata mila hai. Kya kya nuksaan uthana pada hai pichle 10 saal mein. Aap bahut kuch cheene ke koshish kar sakte ho magar jis hansi ko bhagwan ne banaya ho use kaun cheen sakta hai."