Priyadarshan reacts to Rajpal Yadav's jail term, says he is the ‘most innocent actor’ who got into a ‘trap’

ACtor Rajpal Yadav landed in inconvenience o'er the defrayal of closure amounts in a cheque-bounce caseful. He surrendered to the Tihar Jail authorities in Delhi, and his bail hearing was adjourned. The relief came from the Delhi High Court after the actor surrendered to the police over the unpaid debt. Filmmaker Priyadarshan, who has worked with Rajpal in multiple films and has shared his concern for him on the matter earlier as well, has now commented on it again with news agency ANI. (Also read: Priyadarshan breaks silence on Rajpal Yadav's jail term, says he made a ‘blunder’ because of poor education)What Priyadarshan saidIn a statement, the filmmaker said, “My relationship with Rajpal, I have known him for many years, and I would say that he is the most innocent actor I have ever seen.”‘There were so many people ready to help him’He added, “This guy was so innocent that he got into a trap, and for that, our relationship will never change. If it had been somebody else, so many people would not have come together to help him. There were so many people ready to help him because they understand how innocent this guy is. You can see the innocence in his face, and the same innocence is also in his heart.”What do we know about the case?The Delhi High Court granted interim bail to the actor till March 18. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma granted Rajpal interim bail, subject to his depositing ₹1 lakh as bail bond and furnishing one surety. Earlier in the hearing, the court had ordered Rajpal to deposit ₹1.5 crore by 3 PM for interim bail. After the lawyer of the complainant, M/S Murli Project, confirmed that the actor had deposited the amount in the company’s bank accounts against the bounced cheque amount, the bail was granted.The case traces back to 2010, when Rajpal borrowed ₹5 crore from Delhi-based Murali Projects Pvt Ltd to fund his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata (2012). The film’s commercial failure led to heavy losses and a financial dispute. In 2018, a magisterial court convicted the actor for cheque dishonour under the Negotiable Instruments Act, sentencing him to six months’ imprisonment — a decision upheld by a sessions court in 2019. The amount due eventually rose to nearly ₹9 crore.Several celebrities have stepped forward to support him since the news of his jail term surfaced. Sonu Sood was among the first to publicly offer his help. Gurmeet Choudhary, Guru Randhawa and Mika Singh have offered financial assistance.