- In an old interview with The Lallantop, Rajpal recalled that he was barely 20 when he lost his first wife
- His first wife, Karuna, died in 1991
- Rajpal met his second wife, Radha, during the shoot of The Hero in 2001
Rajpal Yadav once opened up about his early tragedy, his second marriage to Radha, and how his family became his strongest support system.
Rajpal Yadav On Losing His First Wife
In an old interview with The Lallantop, Rajpal recalled that he was barely 20 when he lost his first wife, Karuna, soon after she gave birth to their daughter, Jyoti.
Reflecting on that painful phase, he shared, "Back in the day, if you were a man with a job, people would ask your family to arrange your marriage. So, my father got me married. My first wife had just delivered a baby, a daughter, and died. I was supposed to meet her the next day, but instead I carried her dead body on my shoulders. Thanks to my family for taking good care of my daughter."
Karuna died in 1991. Over the next decade, he focused on building himself from the ground up, training at the National School of Drama in Delhi and taking up television and film projects.
Finding Love Again
Rajpal met Radha during the shoot of The Hero in 2001.
Recounting that phase, he said, "I was 31, and then I met Radha. I had gone to shoot The Hero in 2001, where we met and remained in touch. We got married in 2003, after both families agreed to it."
Rajpal has often credited Radha, who is Canadian, for embracing his roots with sincerity and respect.
Sharing an anecdote, he revealed, "Believe me, I have never asked my wife to wear a saree. I speak to my mother in a certain way, and my wife speaks to her in the same manner. She learnt the language. One day, when I reached the village, I saw that she was sitting with her face covered, because in villages, women live in a certain way."
About Rajpal Yadav's Case
In recent years, Rajpal Yadav has been grappling with serious legal and financial troubles linked to his 2012 film Ata Pata Laapata. To fund the project, he had borrowed Rs 5 crore from M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd. However, the film's failure resulted in mounting losses, and the debt escalated due to bounced cheques, accumulated interest, and penalties, eventually reaching nearly Rs 9 crore.
Despite making partial payments, including two demand drafts of Rs 75 lakh in October 2025 and later offering Rs 25 lakh with a revised repayment plan, the Delhi High Court found repeated violations of earlier undertakings. The court rejected his requests for more time and ordered him to surrender.
On February 5, 2026, Rajpal surrendered at Tihar Jail and began serving a six-month sentence. His interim bail plea, filed on the grounds of a family wedding, was adjourned until February 16. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma highlighted inconsistent promises regarding repayments and observed that his imprisonment stemmed from failing to honour commitments.
During this difficult period, several members of the film fraternity, including Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, David Dhawan, Sonu Sood, Gurmeet Choudhary, Guru Randhawa, Tej Pratap Yadav, Mika Singh, and Rao Inderjeet Singh Yadav, stepped forward with financial assistance. His wife, Radha Yadav, also publicly acknowledged the support extended by well-wishers.
ALSO READ: How Rajpal Yadav Defined 2000s Comedy With Salman Khan And Akshay Kumar
