On Tuesday, the Supreme Court told actor Rajpal Yadav to make a good movie and entertain people again in order to rebuild his image as it considered the Rs 1.15 crore payment he made in a long‑running series of cheque‑bounce cases. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana noted that Yadav had complied with the court’s last order by submitting the amount.
Yadav’s counsel also informed the bench that a prospective buyer of his property has agreed to deposit Rs 85 lakh by demand draft in the Registry on or before 12 October. While the apex court expressed dissatisfaction with Yadav’s conduct, it granted him a temporary reprieve.
The actor, who appeared personally in the court, explained that he had worked on 200 to 250 films but had suffered losses of Rs 200–250 crore over the past 13 years, including a Rs 17 crore loss on the film Ata Pata Laapata. He recounted a press conference that had stalled the film’s release, which was slated for 1,200 theatres but never screened. Chief Justice Surya Kant suggested that Yadav produce a new, quality film—perhaps featuring lawyers who are also good actors—to restore his reputation.
The dispute originates from a 2010 agreement in which Yadav received Rs 5 crore from M/s Murli Projects Pvt Ltd to finance Ata Pata Laapata. In 2013 he tendered seven cheques of Rs 1.05 crore each, all of which were dishonoured. The Delhi High Court convicted Yadav of multiple cheque‑bounce offences, sentencing him to three months’ imprisonment and ordering him to pay more than Rs 1 crore in each of the seven complaints. The Supreme Court has scheduled a follow‑up hearing for next week.
