- Rajpal Yadav surrendered at Tihar Jail in a 2012 cheque-bounce case and got interim bail until March 18
- He denied needing to ask for work and said cinema is his passion with continuous employment for 11 years
- Rajpal Yadav criticized Priyadarshan’s claim that his legal issues stem from poor education
Actor Rajpal Yadav remained in the spotlight through February following developments in a 2012 cheque-bounce case. Last month, he surrendered at Tihar Jail in connection with the matter and was later granted interim bail until March 18 to attend a family wedding.
What's Happening
- On Saturday, the actor addressed the media in Mumbai, speaking about allegations of fraud against him.
- In a separate interaction with SCREEN, he opened up about the support he has received from the film industry and responded to Sonu Sood's recent comment about "offering him work".
- When asked about actor Sonu Sood's comment regarding offering him work during difficult times, Rajpal Yadav responded, "Please get over the misconception that I need to keep asking for work. And there is no shame in asking for work. I live through my job, cinema is my passion, and I work in such a way that I get four times more work. I work even on vacations. Work doesn't find me, it has lived with me for the last 11 years."
Rajpal Yadav Bashes Priyadarshan
Rajpal Yadav also slammed filmmaker Priyadarshan's recent comment suggesting that his legal troubles were linked to poor education.
Reacting to the remark, Rajpal Yadav said, "This is completely wrong. Priyanji doesn't know me. I am well educated guy, I have been working since the age of 11 to 55. Even the biggest of 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 further 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 would like to give an exam as an actor for a lifetime to him. But Priyanji or anyone from Bollywood doesn't know the whole story, so any judgments from them don't hold value."
What Did Priyadarshan Say?
In an earlier interview with MidDay, Priyadarshan had spoken about his long association with Rajpal Yadav and the actor's situation.
He had 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."
He added, "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 Rajpal 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."
Despite the ongoing legal case, Rajpal Yadav said his professional commitments remain steady.
Speaking about his upcoming work, he shared, "I am doing my first film this year with Priyanji, Bhoot Bangla, then I have Welcome To The Jungle, where there are 27 actors, and then there is Haiwaan, where I played a small but amazing role. I have two web series and two other films, which I cannot talk about as of now."