‘I cried like a child’, lender opens up on Rajpal Yadav loan battle

In a dramatic twist to the long running financial dispute involving Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav, the businessman at the centre of the case has now opened up about what really happened behind the scenes, including an emotional moment where he broke down and cried while asking the actor to repay money he had lent him.

The controversy dates back to 2010, when businessman Madhav Gopal Agrawal director of Murali Projects Pvt Ltd, agreed to loan ₹5 crore to Rajpal Yadav to help fund his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata.

The arrangement was legally documented as a loan, not an investment, complete with personal guarantees and post dated cheques. Agrawal has stressed that the agreement clearly stated the amount was to be repaid on schedule, regardless of how the film performed.

In interviews following Rajpal’s recent interim bail from Tihar Jail, Agrawal revealed how emotionally difficult the situation became over the years.

He said he even went to the actor’s house and cried like a child, begging him to agree on a repayment plan. Agrawal explained that the funds he lent to Rajpal were not even entirely his own, he had borrowed money from others to be able to provide the ₹5 crore in the first place.

Despite repeated assurances from Rajpal that he would settle the debt and several supplementary agreements with fresh cheques, none of the promised payments materialised and many of the cheques eventually bounced.

After a court-mediated settlement in 2013 set a higher repayment amount (around ₹10.40 crore), those cheques also reportedly went dishonoured, and the legal battle dragged on.

Agrawal said the emotional toll was heavy, and the frustration grew as years passed without repayment. “I cried in front of him like a child,” he told reporters, underscoring how deeply the unpaid loan affected him both financially and personally.

Rajpal Yadav known for his comic roles in films like Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri was granted interim bail on February 17, 2026, by the Delhi High Court in the ₹9 crore cheque bounce and debt case connected to this dispute.

As part of the bail conditions, he deposited ₹1.5 crore with the complainant, and the next court hearing is scheduled for March 18.

The actor, upon his release, thanked fans and supporters for their encouragement during the tough legal phase. Meanwhile, Agrawal’s candid account shines a light on how a professional relationship can take a deeply personal turn when promised repayments go unfulfilled  and how even seasoned businessmen can be pushed to emotional extremes when money they’ve lent can’t be recovered.