- Rajpal Yadav was granted interim bail by Delhi High Court in a Rs 9-crore debt case yesterday
- Businessman Madhav Gopal Agrawal loaned Rs 5 crore to Rajpal Yadav for film funding
- The businessman stated the loan was a debt with a personal guarantee, not an investment
Actor Rajpal Yadav will be a free man today when he walks out of Delhi's Tihar Jail after he was granted interim bail by the Delhi High Court in the Rs 9-crore debt case.
After the Bhool Bhulaiyaa actor received temporary relief from the court, the businessman who loaned the principal amount of Rs 5 crore to Rajpal Yadav to finance his 2012 film Ata Pata Laapata has now broken silence on the matter.
In an interview with News Pinch, businessman Madhav Gopal Agrawal spoke about his first meeting with Rajpal Yadav, how he gave the actor a loan of Rs 5 crore, and what has happened in the last 14 years in the long-running debt case.
In the initial days of the case, Madhav Gopal Agrawal said, he went to Rajpal Yadav's house and "cried in front of him like a child" because he gave him money from the funds he himself had borrowed from others. He repeatedly begged Rajpal Yadav to tell him the date on which he could get the new agreement drafted.
Madhav Gopal Agrawal of M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd also recalled that he first met Rajpal Yadav through MP Mithilesh Kumar Katheria. According to the entrepreneur, Rajpal Yadav told him that his film Ata Pata Laapata was almost complete and if he didn't secure funding, "everything would go to waste".
When Madhav Gopal Agrawal refused to give him the money, Rajpal Yadav's wife Radha emotionally appealed to him by sending him several messages. Eventually, the businessman relented and agreed to help the actor.
According to Madhav Gopal Agrawal, it was clearly written in the agreement that there will be no impact on the money due to the success or failure of the film, its censor certificate or any other issue. Rajpal Yadav will have to return the set amount on time. Rajpal Yadav also gave a personal guarantee, he claimed.
The businessman said he gave a loan and that it was not an investment, as there is no personal guarantee or cheque in investment.
When he didn't get his money on time, Madhav Gopal Agrawal contacted Rajpal Yadav. At the time, the actor said that he doesn't have funds, following which supplementary agreements were made three times and new cheques were given.
When megastar Amitabh Bachchan launched the music of the film at an event, Madhav Gopal Agrawal found out that according to the agreement the negatives and money were supposed to be given once the film was complete. That's why he went to court to halt the release of the film.
Rajpal Yadav said that he couldn't return money until the release, so Madhav Gopal Agrawal went ahead with a settlement and got the stay from the release of the movie removed. But the film flopped.
In 2013, when there was no end in sight, the businessman went to court again. After the court intervened, a settlement of Rs 10.40 crore was decided. Rajpal Yadav deposited several cheques but all of them were dishonoured and hence, the matter went ahead.
He is a businessman, he just wants his money back, Madhav Gopal Agrawal added.
Also Read | Why Rajpal Yadav Is Still In Tihar Jail Despite Bail In Rs 9-Crore Debt Case