Rajpal Yadav hits back at Priyadarshan’s “poor education” remark, says “Priyanji doesn’t know me”

Rajpal Yadav hits back at Priyadarshan’s “poor education” remark, says “Priyanji doesn’t know me”

• Rajpal Yadav rejects Priyadarshan's remark on his education
• Yadav says his legal troubles are not due to poor education
• He asserts he remains active in films and doesn't lack work

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Amid the continuing fallout from his Rs 9 crore cheque-bounce case, veteran actor Rajpal Yadav has strongly responded to comments made by filmmaker Priyadarshan, who had publicly suggested that Rajpal’s legal troubles were a result of his “poor education” — a remark the actor has now categorically rejected.

Speaking to the SCREEN after being granted interim bail following his brief stint in Tihar Jail, Rajpal called Priyadarshan’s assessment “completely wrong” and defended his decades-long career in the film industry.

Priyadarshan, a long-time collaborator who has worked with Rajpal in several films, had earlier said in an interview that he advised the producers of his upcoming project to pay the actor more than his usual fee “because of his situation”. The director also expressed a desire to “save him” and described Yadav as a “good soul,” while remarking that Yadav allegedly made a “blunder because of his poor education.”

Reacting sharply to that comment, “This is completely wrong. Priyanji doesn’t know me. I am a well-educated guy. I have been working from the age of 11 to 55. Even the biggest stalwarts land in trouble at some point, but that has nothing to do with their education. Had I been poorly educated, I wouldn’t have survived here for 25-30 years,” he said.

Rajpal Yadav also clarified the respect he holds for directors who have supported him over the years, including Priyadarshan himself, as well as Ram Gopal Varma and David Dhawan.

He further added, “I respect three directors a lot — Mr Ram Gopal Verma, David Dhawan, and Priyadarshan. I look up to them. I have done more than 50 films with just the three of them. Poor education doesn’t apply here because there is another intention. I am like Priyanji’s son. Whenever he asks, I would like to give an exam as an actor for a lifetime to him. But Priyanji or anyone from Bollywood doesn’t know the whole story, so any judgments from them don’t hold value.”

In the same press interaction, Rajpal addressed comments by Sonu Sood, who had publicly offered him work. He asked people to “get over the misconception that I need to keep asking for work,” asserting that he remains professionally active with several projects lined up and that cinema is his passion, not something he lacks.

What did Priyadarshan say?

In an interview with Mid-Day, Priyadarshan said, “I have known Rajpal for over 20 years. I saw him for the first time in the 2000 film Jungle and was surprised by his performance. My first film with him was the 2006 film Malamaal Weekly, and after that, he has starred in most of my films.”

Also read: Rajpal Yadav urges people to drop the misconception about needing work, Sonu Sood clarifies his comment

He added, “I told the producers of my next film, Jubilee Films, to pay Rajpal more than what he charges because of his situation. We want to save him. The producers have agreed. Rajpal plays the villain in my movie. I knew about his problem. That’s why I kept signing Rajpal for every film. I pushed him in ad films too. The poor guy made a blunder because of his poor education. Rajpal is a good soul.”