Rajpal Yadav to release two-minute clips of Ata Pata Laapata amid cheque-bounce row; reveals why he didn’t approach industry for help | Bollywood News
In February, actor Rajpal Yadav surrendered at Tihar Jail in connection with a 2012 cheque-bounce case. The matter dates back to his maiden production venture, Ata Pata Laapata, for which he had secured Rs 5 crore in funding from businessman Madhav Gopal. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Rajpal maintained that the case does not involve fraud or a loan default, but stems from what he described as Madhav’s “bad intentions.” He alleged that the businessman repeatedly altered the terms of their agreement, which he claims to have accommodated. Rajpal further stated that Madhav subsequently obtained a stay order from the High Court on the film’s release, jeopardising his debut production.
Rajpal Yadav reveals what exactly happened between him and Madhav Gopal
Rajpal Yadav, who held a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday, revealed how he was falsely framed by Madhav Gopal. He also shared that on September 22, 2011, when Rajpal launched Ata Pata Laapata’s music with Amitabh Bachchan, one of his investors, Madhav, got upset over not being present. On September 23, the two argued, which Rajpal could sense was a problem. Sharing the incident in detail, Rajpal said, “It all started in 2005. I had a friend called Mithilesh Kumar who used to keep visiting me in Mumbai. I was busy with cinema. In 2008, there was a recession in India. I had 10-12 films on the floor, and all of them got delayed. There was a six-month-long strike, everyone was out of work, money was stuck in the market, so our group decided to make something with theater artists. We decided to make a film called Ataa Pataa Lapataa.”
“Mithilesh had been telling me for 4-5 years that he wanted to invest, and he offered it 25 times. In 2010, when I went to my village, Mithilesh mediated between me and Madhav Gopalji. I asked him to come to Mumbai and see everything; he came down and saw 70 percent of the film that was made. That evening, he offered to invest Rs 5 crore. Then he suggested doing a package with me, where, in return for Rs 5 crore, he wanted Rs 8 crores repaid after the film was released. I agreed, and an agreement was made in July 2010; later, two more agreements were made at a gap of six months,” the actor addded.
He continued, “And before the film could be released, he brought a stay order on it, despite his payment date being February of next year. He stopped the release in the high court; however, the court allowed me to release the film, and I gave him post-dated cheques. But just when we were promoting the film, he hosted a press conference in Mumbai, calling me a fraud and accusing me of cheating him. PVR was supposed to release the film, and Amitabh Bachchan had come for the music launch. More than 20 people had invested in the film; I had invested Rs 10-12 crore, but I never understood his intention behind giving Rs 5 crore.”
‘Within 24 hours, Ata Pata Laapata was out of theaters’
Rajpal Yadav shared how Madhav Gopal’s accusations destroyed Ata Pata Laapata, in which 10-12 people had invested. He shared, “One day after the music launch, issues began, and he destroyed the film one day before it was supposed to release. At the high court, he showed that I had taken a loan. At the press conference, he tagged me as a fraud and set a narrative that the entire industry was against me. That time, we had booked 1000-1200 screens across PVR, but it wasn’t able to release in even 200 screens. I even shifted the film’s release date from October to November. Within 24 hours, the film was out of theatres, and it was put on the back burner. I got permission to sell the film after a year, who would have taken it after so long?”
Rajpal shared that he doesn’t intend to sell the film, but rather release 50-100 clips of it on social media. “To date, we have not sold the film’s satellite rights. I also don’t know if I will sell it to an OTT platform. But 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. A total of 20-22 crore went into producing the film. I had mortgaged my land and taken a loan from the bank. But Rs 5 crore put Rs 20-22 crore at stake. Even if he was angry, he should have let the film be released, but he didn’t let that happen; his intentions were bad. There were 200 artistes in that film,” he added.
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Sharing how other investors reacted to this issue, Rajpal said, “Others who had invested in the film also faced issues because of me; they couldn’t get their money back. Whatever I earned, went behind this. Some of them have not asked me for the money to date, some were paid back, some supported, and some got hassled, but in a syndicate of 25 people, one person’s Rs 5 crore put everyone in trouble.”
‘Why would I have asked for help from the industry?’
Despite going through a difficult phase, Rajpal Yadav was never out of work. In fact, he continued to play key roles in several blockbuster films. This raises the question: why was he unable to repay the money over 15 years?
Addressing this, Rajpal claimed that although he was willing to settle the dues, Madhav Gopal was intent on sending him to jail.
He said, “You should ask this of the opposition people. Why would a man who has raw materials worth Rs 5 crore lying on his village land for his home to be made, why would he not be able to pay Rs 5 crore?”
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Sharing why he didn’t seek help from the industry earlier, Rajpal added, “Why would I have asked for help from the industry? I am a self-sufficient man. I have my means of livelihood sorted for life in my village, Shajahanpur. I wanted to help the industry, and the industry has been helping me for the last 25 years. Had they not given me awards or films, it would be different. The entire industry is like a family. I have been here for 25 to 30 years, and I wish to be around for another 500 years.”
On the work front, Rajpal Yadav has several major films in the pipeline and has also announced his digital debut. He recently launched his YouTube channel too.
