Rajpal Yadav opens up about receiving help from Bollywood during financial crisis: ‘The whole world was with me’

Actor Rajpal Yadav has said that the ‘whole world’ was with him when he experienced a financial crisis some years ago. The actor was jailed for three months after failing to repay a loan of ₹5 crore in 2018.

In an interview, he said that he wouldn’t be where he is today if not for the support of his well-wishers. He also recalled his days of struggle, and said that he used to walk across Mumbai looking for work because he couldn’t afford public transport.

Asked if Bollywood stood up for him during his period of financial difficulty, Rajpal Yadav told RJ Siddharth Kannan in Hindi, “I feel everyone should keep their doors open for others… How would I be here if people didn’t help me out? The whole world was with me, I had my beliefs to keep me going, I knew that I had all the support I needed.”

Rajpal also recalled his days of struggle in the film industry. “When you land up in Mumbai, an unfamiliar new city, where you share an auto with others to get to Borivali… Then, when you don’t have money for an auto, you walk to Juhu, Lokhandwala, Adarsh Nagar, Goregaon, sometimes even Bandra, carrying your photo with you, looking for some success, then what are you talking about? If life seems tough, the mission is easy. If life seems easy, the mission becomes tough.”

Offering a clarification on the loan-default case, Rajpal told Hindustan Times in 2018, “There are three things. Either somebody invested ₹5 crore or somebody loaned this much money. The third thing is that Rajpal Yadav was involved in a fraud. Only one of these three things can be right. Please let me know which of these I am getting punished for.”

Also read: Rajpal Yadav on idea of him being paired with Shilpa Shetty in Hungama 2: ‘Hungama khada ho jaata’

Rajpal will soon be seen with Meezaan, Paresh Rawal, and Shilpa Shetty in Hungama 2, a spiritual sequel to director Priyadarshan’s 2003 comedy film, starring Akshaye Khanna, Aftab Shivadasani, Rimi Sen, and Paresh Rawal.