Actor Rajpal Yadav was granted interim bail by the Delhi High Court until March 18 in the Rs 9 crore cheque bounce case after surrendering on February 5. The matter dates back to 2010, when Yadav borrowed Rs 5 crore to finance his directorial venture Ata Pata Laapata. However, the film failed at the box office, leading to significant financial losses and subsequent legal proceedings.
Rajpal Yadav Plans To Release Ata Pata Laapata Clips
Speaking about the case, the actor claimed he was falsely implicated by businessman Madhav Gopal, maintaining that the matter does not involve fraud or loan default but stems from what he described as the businessman’s 'bad intentions.' Yadav, who held a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday, revealed that he has not sold the satellite rights of Ata Pata Laapata to date and remains uncertain about whether he will eventually sell the film to an OTT platform.
Further, Yadav said, "Now that people know about it, I am getting 2-minute-long clips cut. The shooting went on for 76 days, and you will see how much money went behind it. We didn’t bring 2500 people through CGI; they were real artistes who shot at Film City. I just want everyone to see if the money was spent on the film or not."
The actor said that he spent a total of Rs 20-22 crore on producing the film, even mortgaging his land and taking a bank loan to finance it. He claimed that the Rs 5 crore dispute ultimately put his entire Rs 20–22 crore investment at stake. Yadav added that even if the businessman was upset, he should have allowed the film to release, but alleged that he did not let that happen due to 'bad intentions.' He also pointed out that nearly 200 artistes were associated with the project.
When asked why he did not seek help from his industry colleagues earlier, Yadav said he considers himself a 'self-sufficient man' whose means of livelihood are secured for life in his village, Shahjahanpur. He added that he wanted to support the industry, which, according to him, has supported him for the past 25 years.
He remarked that had the industry not given him films and awards, it would have been a different matter. Calling the film fraternity his family, he said he has been part of it for 25-30 years and hopes to remain associated with it for 'another 500 years.'
