Rajpal Yadav says he feels reborn, like a child again, after being sent to prison in a cheque-bounce case. The actor was granted bail after a few days when the court granted him relief, thanks to a wave of support from the industry and his efforts to repay his dues.
A relieved man, he meets us during the promotions of his upcoming film, Bhooth Bangla, days after the court refused to arrest him again. When asked if he is ok now, having left legal troubles behind, he says, “Raahat hi hai zindagi mein (There is only relief in life),” philosophically.
After the Delhi High Court sent him to Tihar Jail in February, many of his co-stars, producers, and well-wishers came together to help him repay his dues in the ₹9-crore cheque-bounce case. As a result, Rajpal partially repaid the debt by the time he was up for bail, and the court granted him relief.
He gets emotional when he talks about the support he received. “When you are stuck in a situation, and at that point, the people for whom you have been working for 20 years stand by you. Whether it is a child or a senior citizen, it does not matter. People prayed for me, others supported me with tan, mann, dhan, whatever they could. That made me a hundred years younger.”
Rajpal jokes about the new debt he is under - to the people who prayed for him from their homes. “I feel I am not indebted to so many people from around the world who wished well for me. Yeh jo karz hua hai poori duniya ka mere upar, iss karz mein main doobna chahta hoon (I feel I am in debt to the entire world, and I want to stay in it),” he says with a smile.
The experience has changed him, though, he admits. “I must have lived 500 lives in the last 40 years, since I started doing theatre at the age of 14. But now I feel like I have been born again. I feel like a child again,” says the veteran actor.
Rajpal will be next seen on screen in Bhooth Bangla alongside Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Tabu, and Wamiqa Gabbi. The horror-comedy, directed by Priyadarshan, will release in theatres on April 10.
