Mumbai, Feb 26 : Rajpal Yadav has responded to the disappointment expressed by students from the Gurukul Seva Trust in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, who had sent their savings to support him during his recent jail stint. Over 40 children had collected money in a piggy bank and sent it to the actor’s ancestral village in Kundra, hoping to meet him in person after his release.
The students expressed their feelings in a 29-second video, saying, “Namaste Rajpal bhaiya, we have learnt that you have returned home after being released from jail. Congratulations to you. We all want to meet you and know whether you received the help we sent. If you did, why did you not respond to our letter? We are upset with you.” School officials clarified that the children’s contribution was voluntary and motivated purely by admiration for the Shahjahanpur-born actor, known for films like Chup Chup Ke, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, and Bhoothnath.
Speaking to PTI, Yadav assured the students that he values their support. “I am a person who believes in the guru tradition, and all those children are my own. I will definitely meet them, hug them and take photographs with them,” he said. He added that he had not yet spent time with family and is still identifying people who supported him during his difficult phase. “As far as meeting the children is concerned, I was told they were from an orphanage. In my view, if children have an ashram, they are not orphans,” he noted.
The actor had been ordered to surrender in Tihar Jail over a debt dispute related to his 2010 directorial debut Ata Pata Lapata, allegedly for not repaying Rs 5 crore borrowed from Murli Projects Private Limited. Yadav has now returned to shooting for his upcoming film projects.