Rajpal Yadav says time in jail was like near-death experience when he almost drowned: I'm a fighter, will always surface

Rajpal Yadav talks about coming out of jail, the hassles of the cheque-bounce case, and more in his first detailed interview since bail.

Rajpal Yadav says he feels reborn, like a child again. The last few weeks have been difficult for the actor. He was sent to prison in a years-old cheque-bounce case, which prompted a wave of support from the industry and a bid by the actor to repay his dues. This led to Rajpal being released from jail after a few days, when the court granted him bail.

Rajpal Yadav opens up on feeling reborn after being in jail.

‘Life is full of relief now'

A relieved man, he meets us during the promotions of his upcoming film, Bhooth Bangla, days after the court refused to arrest him again. We ask him if he is ok now, having left legal troubles behind. “Raahat hi hai zindagi mein (There is only relief in life),” he says philosophically, “You all are here, people from around the country and the world.”

After the Delhi High Court sent him to Tihar Jail in February, many of his co-stars, producers, and well-wishers came together to help him repay his dues in the ₹9-crore cheque-bounce case. As a result, Rajpal partially repaid the debt by the time he was up for bail, and the court granted him relief.

'I owe the whole world now'

He gets emotional when he talks about the support he received. “When you are stuck in a situation, and at that point, the people for whom you have been working for 20 years stand by you. Whether it is a child or a senior citizen, it does not matter. People prayed for me, others supported me with tan, mann, dhan, whatever they could. That made me a hundred years younger.”

True to his nature, Rajpal jokes about the new debt he is under - to the people who prayed for him from their homes. “I feel I am not indebted to so many people from around the world who wished well for me. Yeh jo karz hua hai poori duniya ka mere upar, iss karz mein main doobna chahta hoon (I feel I am in debt to the entire world, and I want to stay in it),” he says with a smile.

The experience has changed him, though, he admits. “I must have lived 500 lives in the last 40 years, since I started doing theatre at the age of 14. But now I feel like I have been born again. I feel like a child again,” says the veteran actor.

Prolonged legal troubles and spending time in jail can be enough to break anyone. But Rajpal says he is made of different stuff. Recounting a near-death-experience he had as a child, he says, “I have seen death from up close. I almost drowned in the Ganga. At that point, I told myself to keep fighting, to try to surface. You fight the pressure of the water pulling you down. Aapki aadhi jaan nikal jaati hai (You lose half your strength).” He says this experience was like that time for him, adding, “I’m a fighter. In my life, I got sympathy and love from my family and so many other families in the world. So much the world and Indian cinema have given me, it keeps me fighting. I want to live every minute of my life in peace now. Raahat ki saans chahiye. Tabhi has paunga or hasa paunga (Only then can I laugh and make others laugh).”

Rajpal will be next seen on screen in Bhooth Bangla alongside Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Tabu, and Wamiqa Gabbi. The horror-comedy, directed by Priyadarshan, will release in theatres on April 10.