The bail hearing for actor Rajpal Yadav, who is currently serving a jail term in a cheque-bounce case, is scheduled for February 12. His manager, Goldie, confirmed the development to media and said the actor's family is hopeful about his release.
"There is a bail hearing tomorrow, and the family is hopeful that he will be out of jail," Goldie said.
Yadav was ordered by the Delhi High Court to serve a six-month jail term in a decade-old cheque-bounce case. The 54-year-old actor had reportedly taken Rs 5 crore from a Delhi-based businessman in 2010 to invest in his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata.
According to his lawyer, Yadav decided to surrender before the Tihar Jail authorities last week after repeated attempts to arrange the repayment over the years failed.
The manager also said that a large section of the film industry has come forward to support the actor financially. He named actors such as Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn, and added that filmmaker David Dhawan informed him that his son, actor Varun Dhawan, would also extend help. He urged people not to malign the industry's image.
"The whole industry is coming forward to help him at this time. Sonu Sood has publicly supported him. Actors like Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn have taken the initiative, and even David Dhawan has told me that Varun will help him. I don’t want to name only a few members and unintentionally belittle the rest of the industry," he said.
Goldie added that the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) had issued a letter earlier in the day urging members to extend support. "To be honest, many people have been forthcoming, and we are hopeful that we will sail through this situation. Rajpal ji is a strong man, and he has shown absolute grit during this time," he said.
Yadav's manager also addressed reports about the actor's niece's wedding, which is scheduled for February 19. He said the wedding had been finalised two to three months ago and that the recent developments in the case could not impact the family's plans.
"The wedding was planned almost two to three months in advance, and we could not let the current situation affect it. It's just about a week away, and the family felt they should neither call off nor postpone the celebrations. In fact, it gives them a sense of normalcy during these tense times. As I said, we are hopeful that Rajpal ji will be back home soon. The family is praying that he is able to attend the wedding festivities," he said.
He added that everyone is expecting a positive outcome from the bail hearing on Thursday.
Rajpal Yadav, who recently wrapped up shooting for Priyadarshan's Bhooth Bangla alongside Akshay Kumar, reacted to the situation saying that in the film industry everyone is ultimately on their own. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama before surrendering, Yadav said, "Sir, kya karoon? Mere paas paise nahin hain (Sir, what can I do? I don’t have money). Aur koi upaay nahin dikhta (I don't see any other way out). Yahan hum sab akele hain (We are all on our own here). There are no friends. I have to deal with this crisis on my own."
