The rise, fall & struggles of Rajpal Yadav—from Bollywood comic king to Tihar jail

Rajpal Yadav has been jailed in connection with a 15-year-old check-bounce case. He has been convicted for defaulting on the loan taken to finance his film Ata Pata Laapata.

Rajpal Yadav was lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail in connection with a 15-year-old check bounce case | Source: @rajpalofficial, X

New Delhi: Rajpal Yadav made his directorial debut with Ata Pta Laapata in 2012. And just like the movie that tells the story of a missing house, his career in Bollywood lost track in the years that followed, with fewer memorable films to his credit. Going off the radar of top directors who could not write roles for an actor of his calibre.

The actor is now lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail in connection with a 15-year-old check bounce case. Rajpal has been convicted for defaulting on the loan taken to finance Ata Pta Laapata.

Hailing from Shahjahanpur, a small town in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav’s legacy will forever be etched in Bollywood as one of the greatest comic actors.

“Yadav really changed the texture of comedy in the 2000s from the energetic punchline-driven style of the 90s to a more character and situation driven. He made the supporting comic role central to the film,” said actor Isha Koppikar, who worked with him in Darna Mana Hai (2003). 

After Johnny Lever, who ruled 1990s Bollywood masala entertainers, it was Yadav who became the essential ingredient in Hindi films of the 2000s. His roles in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Apna Sapna Money Money and Partner (2007) made him the darling of fans. However, it was a collaboration with director Priyadarshan in films like Garam Masala (2005), Chup Chup Ke (2006), Bhagam Bhag (2006), Dhol (2007) and Bhool Bhulaiya (2007) that established him as the undisputed comic actor.

“We are in the trendsetting business, but often we follow trends so much that we do not know how to write roles for talents like Yadav. People like him come from small towns, start at the bottom, and after making their own space, want better roles. But he did not get roles beyond the comic ones, which would satisfy his desire to show his acting range,” said Chandan Arora, director of Main Meri Patni Aur Wo, one of the finest films Rajpal was part of in his three-decade-old career. 

Unmatched comic timing

The 54-year-old actor, who attended the National School of Drama (NSD) between 1994 and 1997, played the role of Chhote Pandit in Bhool Bhulaiya, which earned him massive fandom for his outlook and antics. He reprised the role in the 2024 sequel Bhool Bhulaiya 3, which also featured Vidya Balan, the protagonist from the Priyadarshan film.

“We didn’t have many scenes together, but he’s a wonderful actor, and I remember how the audience responded to him with so much love and applause when we went to The Great Kapil Sharma show during promotion,” said Balan.

Among Priyadarshan‘s movies, Yadav’s role in Chup Chup Ke and his comic timing have been among the most popular, and his dialogue ‘Main koi bottle se nikla hua bhoot hu ki ek ke baad ek kaam dete ja rahe ho?” (Am I a genie that you are giving me one task after another?) has become a meme template to express frustration and humour about adulting duties and responsibilities.

“He became these odd, vulnerable, chaotic characters that stayed with you long after the film had ended, like his role in Bhool Bhulaiya. He had this ability to steal scenes without overpowering them,” said Koppikar.  

Despite the star cast of Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan, the film is remembered more for the punchy comic scenes, most of which feature Rajpal.

In Partner, his spoof of Amitabh Bachchan’s character in the 1978 film Don, dressed in a long black overcoat and holding guns, was also extremely popular. He even delivers the popular dialogue, “gyarah mulko ki police meri peeche pari hai” (Police of 11 countries are after me) in his own style.

Yadav’s roles often had reference to his short height, like in Partner, with his name being Chhota Don in the film, or Chhote Pandit in Bhool Bhulaiya and its sequels.

Debut in 1999

Yadav had just graduated from NSD and was looking for work when Anurag Kashyap recommended him for Shool (1999). Originally, the film had three dialogues, which were later modified to fifteen when the shoot began. It marked Yadav’s Bollywood debut.

He plays a coolie who demands more than the usual charge from the honest cop Samar (Bajpayee), and the confrontation sets off the events in the film. 

That year, he also marked his television debut with Mungeri Ke Bhai Naurangilal, the sequel of the Doordarshan cult comedy series Mungerilal Ke Hazeen Sapne, directed by Prakash Jha. Raghubir Yadav played the protagonist in the original show.

The two shows portrayed the brothers who loved to daydream about a better life and situation than they are in.

Ram Gopal Varma then cast him in Jungle, which would become Yadav’s breakout role. He played a menacing guerrilla soldier, Sippa, in the survival thriller. He won the Screen Award for Best Negative Role for Sippa in 2000.

Varma also gave Yadav his first lead role in the film Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon (2003).

“As a first director, it was a learning experience to work with someone of Rajpal Yadav’s calibre. He slipped into the role of Raja with ease. I don’t think Main Meri Patni Aur Woh could’ve been possible without Rajpal. Though Antara Mali had the author-backed role, he walked away with a lot of recognition,” said director and editor Chandan Arora.  

Arora also mentioned an incident at the Marrakech film festival that year, where he had travelled to showcase his film.

“After the screening, people lifted him on their shoulders after watching his film. People at the Morocco airport called out Yadav as Sippa—his character’s name in Jungle. His performances in non-comic roles were that powerful,” said Arora.  

Yadav plays Rajaram, a villager, who is a staunch supporter of Chutki (Mali), a village dancer who wants to make it big like Maduri Dixit in Bollywood. It is Rajaram who supports her and helps her achieve her dream. 

After the film, Arora decided to work with Yadav again in Main Meri Patni aur Woh, which also starred Bengali actor Rituparna Sengupta. Yadav plays a qualified but short, 34-year-old man named Mithilesh who marries the good-looking Veena (Sengupta), only to experience jealousy due to his insecurities. 

“He’s improving with each film, and can get into the skin of a character with effortless ease,” wrote Indrani Roy Mitra in her review of the film.

Both films earned Yadav nominations for awards. For Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Zee Awards. For Main Meri Patni Aur Woh, he received two nominations for the comic role category. 

The director also compared how Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who also started with Varma’s films, and Yadav were being typecast. For Siddiqui, it was the role of the police informer or cop, and for Yadav, it was all the comic ones.

Siddiqui and Yadav incidentally share a close friendship. 

In an interview with The Lallantop, Siddiqui had mentioned how Yadav is extremely helpful and has always supported other struggling actors.

“When Rajpal was getting good work, he would feed a lot of people. He supported us when we were struggling in the industry. Not once did he back out of helping. He has helped many struggling actors. His house was like a langar—anybody could walk in and eat. He jokes a lot, but in reality, he is a very sensitive human being,” said Siddiqui.

‘He did not mean to direct the film’

While Yadav has continued acting in films, there was a distinct shift in the kind of masala entertainers that were being made. Lead actors like Akshay Kumar too started playing a mix of comic and lead roles, while Priyadarshan’s last few films could not recreate the magic of earlier projects.

Arora mentioned how an actor like Neena Gupta, too, had to appeal on her social media to get work, and how the industry often does not write meaty roles for character actors.

Ata Pta Laapata was produced by Yadav’s wife under the banner Shree Naurang Godavari Entertainment. And its music was launched by Amitabh Bachchan.

“He did not mean to direct the film, but was producing it for a friend. But due to circumstances, he had to step in and direct it,” said Arora. Made on a budget of Rs 12 crore, the film only managed to make Rs 42 lakh.

Meanwhile, several prominent Bollywood stars, including Ajay Devgn and Salman Khan, have come out in support of Yadav. 

“A lot of people have reached out to help Rajpal Yadav. Actors like Sonu Sood, Salman Khan, and Ajay Devgn have extended their support. I was just on a call with David Dhawan—he too reached out. Ratan Nain, Varun Dhawan… many people are coming forward to help him this time, which Rajpal has deeply appreciated,” Yadav’s manager Goldie told The Indian Express.

(Edited by Saptak Datta)