Why Did Rajpal Yadav Have to Go to Tihar Jail?
In 2010, actor Rajpal Yadav produced and directed a film titled Ata Pata Lapata. For this project, he took a loan of ₹5 crore from Murli Projects Private Limited. The film was released in 2012, but it failed at the box office. As a result, Rajpal Yadav was unable to repay the ₹5 crore loan.
After this, Murli Projects filed a civil case against him. Rajpal Yadav issued seven cheques to the company, but all seven cheques bounced. This led to a criminal case being filed against him under cheque bounce charges.
During the case proceedings, Rajpal Yadav and his wife submitted an undertaking to the court. They promised to repay the loan with high interest. However, when this promise was not fulfilled, the court declared him guilty. In November 2013, Rajpal Yadav had to spend 10 days in Tihar Jail. He was also ordered to pay a heavy penalty for the seven bounced cheques.
The case continued for several years. Interest and penalties kept increasing, but Rajpal Yadav was still unable to clear the loan. In November 2018, he was again sentenced to three months in jail.
With heavy penalties and interest, the original ₹5 crore loan reportedly increased to around ₹11 crore. The court had also ordered that he pay a fine of ₹1.5 crore per cheque.
Later, the court gave him another opportunity to settle the amount within a fixed timeline. However, he failed to repay the dues within the given period. The court observed that delays were continuing and promises were being made without results.
As a result, the court ordered him to surrender at Tihar Jail on February 4, 2026, and serve a six-month sentence. However, Rajpal Yadav did not surrender on that date. He stated that he was arranging funds and would repay the money. This time, the court did not grant any more extensions.
On February 6, 2026, Rajpal Yadav surrendered in court and is now serving a six-month term in Tihar Jail.
The news received wide media coverage. Following this, actor Sonu Sood announced that he had signed Rajpal Yadav for his next film and would pay him the signing amount immediately to help him financially. Along with him, Govind Chaudhary, Rao Inderjit Singh, Desh Pratap Yadav, Harish Bazmi, Guru Randhawa, and even KRK came forward to support Rajpal Yadav publicly.
Ata Pata Laapata: Rajpal Yadav’s Directorial
Ata Pata Laapata is a 2012 Hindi film that marked Rajpal Yadav’s debut as a director. The movie also starred him in the lead role and was produced by his wife, Radha Yadav, under their banner Shree Naurang Godavari Entertainment Ltd. Sadly, the film turned out to be a major commercial flop and later became linked to the actor’s long-running financial and legal troubles, including the recent cheque bounce case that led to his time in Tihar Jail.
The Ata Pata Laapata story follows Manav Chaturvedi (played by Rajpal Yadav), a common man who discovers that his entire house (bungalow named Dwarka Sadan) has mysteriously disappeared from its construction site in an imaginary place called Swapnaloka colony. Shocked, he files a police complaint for robbery. Instead of help, he becomes the prime suspect. The case attracts massive media attention, politicians get involved, and public pressure forces a deeper investigation. The film uses this absurd situation to poke fun at how systems exploit ordinary people and how power works in society. Rajpal Yadav also narrates parts of the story.
Rajpal Yadav Life:
Rajpal Yadav is a very popular Indian actor and comedian. He is known for his funny faces, quick timing, and small but powerful roles that make everyone laugh. Even now in 2026, when he faces some legal problems, fans still love his old movies and remember him as the “comedy king” of the 2000s.
Rajpal Yadav was born on March 16, 1971, in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh (a small town near Lucknow). His full name is Rajpal Naurang Yadav. He came from a simple family – his father was Naurang Yadav and mother Godavari Yadav.From a young age, he loved acting. He did many plays in local theatre in Shahjahanpur. Later, he studied drama seriously:Bharatendu Natya Academy in Lucknow
National School of Drama (NSD) in Delhi (1994–1997) – this is a top acting school where big actors like Naseeruddin Shah trained.
Before movies, he acted on TV in a show called Mungeri Ke Bhai Naurangilal on Doordarshan.
Rajpal moved to Mumbai in 1997 after NSD to try films. He started with small roles.His first movie was Shool (1999). In this film, he played a coolie (porter) with just a few lines. It was directed by E. Niwas and produced by Ram Gopal Varma. Anurag Kashyap (who was assistant then) helped him get the role. This was his Bollywood debut – a serious role, not comedy.His big breakthrough came in 2000 with Jungle (directed by Ram Gopal Varma). He played a negative (villain) role as Sippa, a terrorist. People noticed his acting, and he won awards for it. After that, he slowly moved to comedy.
Famous Movies:
Shool(1999),Jungle(2000),Hungama(2003),Garam Masala & Waqt: The Race Against Time(2005),Chup Chup Ke,Phir Hera Pheri,Bhagam Bhag(2006),Bhool Bhulaiyaa(2007),Dhol(2007),Ata Pata Laapata(2012),Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2(2022),Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Malamaal Weekly (2006), Partner (2007), Krazzy 4 (2008), Khatta Meetha (2010), Judwaa 2 (2017), Total Dhamaal (2019), Coolie No. 1 (2020 remake), and recent ones like Chandu Champion (2024).
He worked with big stars like Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor, and Priyadarshan many times.
Rajpal’s comedy comes from real life – hard work, simple background, and funny expressions. Because Fans Love Him.