Days after securing interim bail in a Rs. 9 crore loan case, actor-comedian Rajpal Yadav addressed the media in Mumbai on Saturday. He arrived with his lawyer, Bhaskar Upadhyay, and spoke about the scale of his upcoming work: “Over the next seven years, I have branding projects valued at Rs. 1,200 crore. I’ve secured four agreements, which don’t include films. Some of these projects are worth Rs. 200 crore, while others go up to Rs. 2,000 crore. The income is a mix of fees and equity. I also have 10 films lined up.”

Addressing the ongoing legal dispute, Rajpal described the agreement as a “ghar ka maamla” (a personal matter) based on trust.

“When the deal happened, Bhaskar ji wasn’t in the picture. I have worked in over 250 films. If I look back, every contract will have some loophole. I never imagined this would reach court. This fight is an ego clash. The person wants me to fall at his feet in return for Rs. 5 crore. If it was about money, I have been ready to pay since 2013,” he said. The actor admitted he “signed documents without reading” them.

The dispute dates back to 2010, when Rajpal took a Rs. 5 crore loan from Delhi-based Murali Projects Pvt Ltd to finance his directorial debut Ata Pata Laapata (2012). After the film failed, repayment issues followed. In April 2018, a Magisterial Court convicted Rajpal and his wife Radha under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act after seven cheques bounced. He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, a conviction later upheld by a Sessions Court in 2019.

In October 2025, the court noted that while Rajpal had deposited Rs. 75 lakh, most of the liability remained unpaid. He surrendered at Tihar Jail on February 5 after the Delhi High Court declined further relief in the long-pending cheque bounce case. He has since been granted interim bail till March 18.

Rajpal Yadav has commenced shooting for Welcome To The Jungle, marking his return to work, days after he walked out of Tihar Jail on bail in connection with a cheque bounce case. Shortly after his release, Yadav had shared a message on social media, thanking fans and well-wishers for their support.

When we reached out to him, Yadav told us, “Everyone has given me a lot of love. It feels great to be back on set. The cast members of Welcome To The Jungle, welcomed me back with great excitement and affection. Fortunately, there were no continuity issues and I look forward to working with everyone.”

When asked how does it feel to be back on the set after such a time, and he quipped, "It was merely 13 days. People take longer breaks than 13 days." He also added, "It was only normal for everyone to hug me once I returned on the set. And what better way to get a welcome back than working on Welcome To The Jungle."

Welcome to the Jungle, directed by Ahmed Khan, features an ensemble cast of over 30 actors, including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal and Johny Lever.

In an earlier interview with us, Rajpal spoke about his days in the jail. He said, When asked about his days in jail, Yadav turns reflective rather than descriptive.

"For me every day is a new beginning a new learning day, and a working day. Tihar jail is the mother of all jail. A lot of visionaries have been in that jail, as an actor, I just ensured I observed. I do think a few people inside do deserve another chance at life. I saw such energy inside everyone. I was eating the same food, that was made for everyone. I didn’t even demand for one extra roti. I wanted to experience everything from cleaning sweeping to everything. I just want the High Court to hear my points. I want to present and if I'm wrong then send me back to the jail, I respect that.”

Days after being granted interim bail and walking out of Tihar Jail on February 17 in a Rs. 9 crore cheque bounce case, actor Rajpal Yadav is choosing reflection over reaction. The 54-year-old, who travelled with his wife, Radha Yadav, to his hometown in UP soon after his release, says the legal battle is far from over.

Opening up about the entire ordeal, Radha says they are approaching the situation “one step at a time”.

Reflecting on his time in jail, Rajpal shares, “The most difficult part was being away from my family. Beyond that, I accepted the routine. I would wake up early and focus on breathing exercises and maintaining mental balance.” On the legal front, he says, “This matter has been ongoing for many years. I believed it was right to handle it legally.”

Radha adds, “Every possible legal and respectful option was explored. Sometimes resolution is not just about willingness, it also depends on timing.”

The legal dispute dates back to 2010, when Rajpal took a Rs. 5 crore loan from businessman Madhav Gopal Agrawal to finance his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata (2012). After the film failed at the box office, he was unable to repay the amount. Over the years, accumulated interest, penalties and legal costs have caused the liability to rise to Rs. 9 crore.

Rajpal Yadav surrendered to Tihar Jail on February 5 after the Delhi High Court refused to extend the deadline for him to hand himself over in connection with a long-running Rs. 9cr cheque-bounce case. Post his release on Tuesday, he left for his niece’s wedding in Shahjahanpur.

In a chat with us, Rajpal chose his words carefully, aware that the matter remains legally sensitive. “Everything related to the episode and the legal matters is ongoing. I am careful with my words because even a slight change in my words can create issues. So I don’t want even a single line to become a problem,” he said at the outset.

Rajpal Yadav reiterated that his stance has remained consistent since the court case began. “When the High Court ordered me to surrender, I did that. When they ordered me to come out, I did. If the court says wait, I will wait. I have never tried to twist my words or change my stand to suit a moment. My point hasn’t changed, my passport hasn’t changed, so why would my truth change? I was clear that I want everyone to know the facts,” he said.

Talking about his days in jail, Rajpal said, “For me, every day is a new beginning – a new day of learning and a new day of working. As an actor, I just observed everything around me. I was eating the same food that was made for everyone. I did whatever was expected of me. I just want the High Court to hear my point of view and if the Court finds that I’m wrong – send me back to jail, I will respect that.”

Reports of financial support from members of the film industry have been circulating, but Rajpal refuses to name anyone.

He said, “This case first appeared in the media in 2012. Reports stated, ‘Rajpal Yadav is a fraud.’ Since then, I have had at least 10 films a year. Why would anyone work with me if I was a fraud? The industry doesn’t need to prove that they are with me, I have faith that everyone is with me.”

When probed further on the financial support he has supposedly received from some people in the industry, he said, “I respect all the help, but I don’t want sympathy.”

Radha Yadav, wife of actor Rajpal Yadav, spoke to us amid intense public interest over his surrender in a cheque-bounce case and subsequent incarceration at Tihar Jail.

Recently, an old video resurfaced in which Rajpal thanked Salman Khan, prompting reports that he had been released. However, Radha told Bombay Times, “As of now, he is not out of Tihar Jail. The bail hearing is scheduled for Monday (February 16).”

When asked how he was doing, she said, “He is okay, from what I understand.” Speaking about the support he has been receiving from the industry, Radha added, “Our whole family is together at this time. We are very grateful for the support and love he is receiving from his fans and the film fraternity.”

There have been rumours that multiple actors such as Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, and others have paid off the actors debt, Radha addressed the speculations, and clarified, "I can’t take any specific names right now, but I would just want to say many people from the industry have stepped in to support. I’m not able to divulge names and figures at this stage. We are very hopeful that he will be out soon. That’s all I can say now. Once Rajpal ji is out, he will be able speak to you and the media and give further clarity on the matter.”

During the most recent court hearing, the bench directed the complainant to file a response to his bail application and sought clarification from Yadav’s legal team on how he intends to settle the outstanding financial obligations. His lawyer informed the court that approximately Rs 2.5 crore of the disputed amount had been paid towards the debt, though a full settlement has yet to be reached.

In the days since Rajpal Yadav was sent to Tihar Jail in connection with a Rs 9 crore debt and cheque bounce case, many in the Hindi film industry have offered financial help to the actor. The latest to extend support is Priyadarshan. The filmmaker, whose next is a comedy starring Pankaj Tripathi and Yadav, revealed that the makers have hiked the actor’s fee, in light of the current situation.

When mid-day reached out to Priyadarshan, he said, “I have known Rajpal for over 20 years.”

The director, who was neck-deep in the post-production of Bhooth Bangla in Hyderabad, added, “I saw him for the first time in Jungle [2000] and was surprised by his performance. My first film with him was Malamaal Weekly [2006], and after that, he has starred in most of my films. I told the producers [Jubilee Films] of my next 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.”

Yadav reportedly borrowed Rs 5 crore in 2010 to finance his directorial venture, Ata Pata Laapata (2012). With the film failing at the box office, the unpaid dues over the years apparently escalated to nearly Rs 9 crore.

As one of Yadav’s close associates, Priyadarshan was aware of his financial distress. “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.”

Senior actor Rajpal Yadav has been going through a tough time amid legal and financial trouble, and he recently surrendered before the Tihar Jail authorities in a cheque-bounce case. Reportedly, before surrendering to the authorities, the actor broke down and said, “Sir, kya karoon? Mere paas paise nahin hain. Aur koi upaay nahin dikhta.”

When asked if he had considered seeking help from colleagues or industry friends, Yadav replied, “Sir, yahan hum sab akele hain. There are no friends. I have to deal with this crisis on my own.”

Rajpal Yadav surrendered to the police after the Delhi High Court directed him to do so in connection with multiple cheque bounce cases. The actor, who had taken a loan for his directorial, Ata Pata Laapata, in 2010, was unable to repay the loan. In 2018, a magisterial court sentenced him to a six-month jail term. In 2019, a sessions court upheld the verdict.

When the actor and his wife approached the Delhi High Court in 2024 for relief, the court temporarily suspended the sentence, taking into consideration the fact that the actor and his wife were not habitual offenders. It allowed time for resettlement. However, the actor was unable to repay the debt. The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, rejected Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav’s plea seeking an extension of time to surrender before jail authorities.

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Actor Sonu Sood took to social media on Tuesday to share that Rajpal Yadav will be part of his upcoming film, adding that the actor would be given a “small signing amount, adjustable against future work”. The announcement comes just days after Rajpal surrendered at Delhi’s Tihar Jail on Feb 5 in connection with a cheque bounce case.

Speaking to us, Sonu says, “Helping him is our responsibility as colleagues, and I hope we can make this happen. It’s a little too early to talk about the film as it is in the final writing stages.”

The 52-year-old, who previously worked with Rajpal in Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2004), adds, “A lot of people in our industry have worked with Rajpal bhai. He will be a part of my film, and I request all producers to do the same so that he can come out of the tough phase he is facing.”

The cheque bounce case stems from a Rs. 5 crore loan Rajpal took in 2010 to fund his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata (2012). The amount later reportedly swelled to nearly Rs. 9 crore, which he was unable to repay, following which he surrendered last Thursday.

Hindi cinema is populated with stories about super cops. Oddly, the story of one of India’s most celebrated cops, Kiran Bedi, was missing from the big screen. Now, director Kushaal Chawla is set to make Bedi: The Name You Know, The Story You Don't. Her life has all the material for a gripping biopic—from her being the Indian Police Service’s first female officer, to her staunch anti-corruption stance over her 35-year career. But the thrust will be on her policing career, including how she introduced prison reforms in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, why she was removed from her post despite her relentless work, and her multiple postings.

Bedi tells us, “I know who was behind it all and why it was done, which I will tell through this film. No one was bothered about prison reforms at the time because it was like a punishment posting. When [my efforts] got high visibility, I got the Ramon Magsaysay Award. [At the same time], I was getting departmentally punished. Kushaal is fascinated by my work as a police officer, whether it is tackling crime, my work in the traffic department and prisons, and my UN assignment.”

While she was often approached for biopics, it was only in 2020 that the then-Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry felt ready. “I was impressed to know that Kushaal had been researching for four years.”

The big question is: who will play the former top cop? Kushaal says, “We have a few actors in mind, but no one has been shortlisted.” Bedi adds, “She will have to [study] all the mannerisms, sport short hair, adopt my way of dressing and gestures.”

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India’s first woman IPS officer, Dr Kiran Bedi, has announced that her inspirational life will be turned into a motion picture, titled BEDI: The Name You Know. The Story You Don’t. While she has been approached several times in the past about making a film about her life, Bedi feels that now the timing is finally right.

The 75-year-old credits director Kushaal Chawla’s extensive research for convincing her to proceed this time. “I was in Puducherry for my assignment when Kushaal and his father, producer Gaurav Chawla, approached me about making a film. I initially felt it was too early since I was still working, but their thorough homework and due diligence impressed me, even though they didn’t know if I would agree,” she shares.

Pre-production for the project will begin soon, and the casting for Bedi’s role is yet to be finalised. When asked which Bollywood actor she thinks would best portray her, Bedi suggests, “These are tough choices, best left to the directors and producers.” She adds that the film might be released next year.

Reflecting on the portrayal of police officers in Indian cinema, Bedi notes, “With my limited time, I don’t watch much of the uniform or police series because I have had enough of it in real life.” She also recalls her stint in showbiz with the TV show Aap Ki Kachehri, describing it as a brilliant phase of her life. “It was instant justice — exactly what my love for service brought me. The judgements were honoured like a civil court. I loved that part of my life.”

Filmmaker Anand Kumar has exclusively confirmed to us about working on a project based on the life of conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Kumar, who recently met Deepak Sharma, ASP, Tihar Jail, says, “The project is in a nascent phase. It was my first meeting with Sharma; depending on the kind of research and information that we gather, I’ll decide whether this project will be a movie or web series. My writers will be in Delhi next month and try to get in touch with the investigating team.”

Kumar doesn’t want to term this project as a biopic although it will be based on Chandrasekhar and will include his personal life, cheating and money laundering cases as well as the link-ups with actors Jacqueline Fernandes and Nora Fatehi. “Biopics mahaan logon ki banti hain. He’s a conman; mujhe usko amar nahin karna,” mentions the Zila Ghaziabad (2013) director.

Talking about the intriguing factor that pushed him towards this story, Kumar shares, “Sukesh knows 10-12 languages and maybe more. His style of conning people is unique. I want to explore how he used to create networks and pull such frauds. I want to show how he was a mastermind; he would plan a scam for almost a year before executing it! Such personalities have never been explored before [in Indian cinema].”

The research has been on for the last six months. Ask him if he has thought of meeting the conman himself for research and he says, “I haven’t thought about it, but agar woh nahin bhi batayega [about his story] toh sikke ka doosra pehlu bhi hai mere paas. I can reach out to the people he has conned.”

In addition, ASP Deepak Sharma tells us, “Anand ji wanted to understand how Sukesh looks, behaves, what he likes to do and how he dresses up, etc.”

The investigation into alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s activities while he was lodged in Tihar jail has thrown up a number of showbiz names apart from those of actresses Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi. These include Chahatt Khanna, Nikki Tamboli, Sophia Singh and Arusha Patil, some of whom reportedly met him in jail, where he is said to have posed as a film producer.

Chahatt, who recently recorded her statement before Delhi’s Patiala House Court, has spoken exclusively to us and alleged that a web of lies and threats engulfed her after she got tricked into visiting Sukesh in jail. She also claims that she was blackmailed repeatedly, and forced to pay a ransom to save her name. “I am a victim and have suffered and I want the world to know my side of the story,” she tells us.

Chahatt says that in May 2018 she got a call to attend a school event in Delhi as a judge. “I travelled to Delhi on May 18, 2018. At Mumbai airport, I met a woman named Angel Khan, who said she would accompany me to the event. When we landed in Delhi, we took a car to go to the school. But after a while, we suddenly stopped and she said that we would have to change cars, as this one would not be allowed inside the school premises. We then moved to a grey Innova and within a few seconds, I realised we were outside the Tihar jail. When I asked her about this, she said we had to enter the school via the jail premises.”

Angel is reportedly one of the aliases of Pinky Irani, who allegedly introduced several actresses to Sukesh. She was first arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in 2021 and then by the Delhi Police last year to probe her involvement in the 200 crore extortion case against Sukesh.

Chahatt says that after realising that she was in Tihar, she started yelling and asked for the car to be stopped, but the woman kept pacifying her, and before she knew it, they were inside Tihar jail. “I knew I was trapped and started panicking, thinking about my two kids, who were in Mumbai with my parents. Once we got off the car, we were taken to a room. I remember the room was full of laptops, watches and expensive luxury items. Aur duniya bhar ke branded bags thay... itne thay ki koi ek gir jaata toh sab gir jaate. There was a sofa, a portable AC, one chair, fridge... chhote se room mein sab kuch bhara hua tha,” she recalls.

In the room, Chahatt was introduced to a man who called himself Shekhar Reddy. She narrates: “He was dressed in a fancy shirt, had sprayed on a lot of perfume, and was wearing a gold chain. He introduced himself as the owner of a popular south Indian TV channel and the nephew of J Jayalalithaa. He said he had been arrested in an EVM tampering case during elections, but was being given VIP treatment in jail. He said he was a fan of mine and had watched my TV show, Bade Acche Lagte Hain, and wanted to meet me. I was frantic and told him, ‘Why would you call me here? I have left my six-month-old baby at home and have come here thinking it’s an event.’ Then, before I knew it, he went down on one knee and said he wanted to marry me. I shouted at him, saying, ‘I am married and I have two kids.’ But he said my husband was not the right man for me and that he would be a father to my kids. I got so anxious that I started crying.”

Why didn’t Chahatt raise an alarm at that point? “I didn’t know what was going to happen next. What if someone caught me inside Tihar jail, what would I say? What if they put me behind bars? Mujhe yeh prove karte karte 10 saal lag jaate ki main prisoner nahi hoon, mujhe bahar se laya gaya tha wahan. I had to somehow get out of that place and get back home; that was the only thing on my mind. There were a couple of men in civil clothes who had escorted us inside. Angel held my hand and told me to look down while walking in as there were CCTV cameras. As far as I remember, there were no police officers around. Since this was a few years ago, I don’t clearly remember things.”

Chahatt reveals that Angel sat on the man’s lap and started blowing kisses at him, saying that he was her best friend. “Around that time, she took a selfie with me, though I kept telling her that I wanted to leave.”

Chahatt remembers leaving with Angel after spending 20-25 minutes inside the jail. “We went straight to the airport, and on the way, Angel gave me around 2 lakh, referring to it as ‘shagun’ and telling me that he had really liked me. I kept quiet because I wanted to get back home. At the airport, she also took off a Versace watch that she was wearing and gave it to me, calling it a ‘friendship gift’ from her. We had to spend the night at the airport because the flight was very delayed. It took off around 7 am,” she says.

Soon after she returned to Mumbai, Chahatt claims she started getting blackmailed by two unknown people. “These two men stopped my sister-in-law on the road and told her that they had footage of me inside Tihar jail, which they would give to a TV channel if we didn’t pay them 10 lakh. I started getting calls from an unknown number when I was at my parents’ residence in Virar. The caller said he had got the footage from government officials and would give it to a TV channel. I was certain Angel was behind this and called her, but she soon blocked me. I agreed to give them 3 lakh, for which I borrowed 1 lakh from my father. They asked me to leave the money at a spot in Virar, which I did. Till today, I don’t know who the guys were,” she says.

Looking back, does she feel she should not have paid the ransom? “I was helpless. I didn’t want anyone to know that I was in Tihar jail. I was also worried about it affecting my marriage, and so I agreed to give them the money. Among other things, it did take a toll on my marriage, and my husband and I separated. Maybe I should have approached the police and lodged a complaint. But things kept happening one after the other and I just wanted to get out of it.”

After May 2018, Chahatt says that Sukesh called her two or three times from jail. “He would call me from international numbers and claim that he could call me from any number – including my husband’s! These calls lasted for a minute or so and he would inquire about my kids and ask if I needed anything. I would say, ‘Thank you so much, but I don’t need anything.’ The last time he called was in December 2018, when I told him, ‘Don’t call me; I don’t appreciate this. We’ll talk when you come out of jail.’ We never exchanged messages. A year after the ransom incident, the woman I knew as Angel unblocked me and messaged me. She said she wanted to work together, but I stayed away from her. She would message a lot, but I would barely reply.”

Chahatt says it’s only one-and-a-half years ago, when her name came up in the case and ED summoned her, that she realised the man she had met in Tihar jail was Sukesh Chandrashekhar and the woman who called herself Angel was his aide, Pinky Irani. “I have given these details to the officials of Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing and Enforcement Directorate and also to Patiala House Court. I am sure officials have gone through my phone details and verified everything.”

Bharti Singh, who recently visited Tihar jail, had the inmates in splits with her antics. She is happy to have got the opportunity to bring about some joy in their lives. It was a part of Comedy Central's unique 'Spread The Cheer' campaign launched this Christmas. The channel created Christmas miracles in the form of standup acts by Bharti and other comedians including Amit Tandon, Zakir Khan, Cyrus Sahukar and Cyrus Broacha at NGOs, hospitals, drug rehabilitation centres, old age homes, orphanages and jails. Says Bharti, “When I went there, I had a typical image of a jail in my mind, some thing like what we have seen in films. But I realised things are very different. It was such an enriching and fun-filled experience.“

Says Ferzad Palia, General Manager and Executive Vice President, English Entertainment, Viacom 18, “Christmas is the season of giving and we've taken this a step further with our campaign. The idea was to break away from regular TV programming and undertake a campaign that gets India to smile more. We got our funniest men on the job and managed to spread some laughter. It's our endeavour to touch people's hearts and leave a smile at every place we visit, while encouraging them to pay it forward with their own random acts of kindness.“

Richa Chadha is frank, funny and unbelievably real. Her wry sense of humour and knack of being politically incorrect can put an ace stand-up comic in the shade. Nikhil Dwivedi, her co-star in Tamanchey which releases today, is equally honest. In a candid chat with Bombay Times, it was their collective lack of diplomacy that left an indelible impression. Excerpts:

Your characters (Munna and Babu) in Tamanchey are unisex names...
Richa: Unisex names? (laughs) I take that very personally. I am a Chadha, there are lots of Shantis and Sherries in my family who are male. I have a cousin whose name is Munna didi. Also, if Rajinder can wed Rajinder, this too can happen. I play this girl, who is a petty criminal. She is surviving in a man's world. Babu is a pseudonym. Her name is something else, but she gets away with a lot (of crimes) because cops get confused ki yeh aadmi hai ke aurat!

The trailer reminds one of Ram Gopal Varma's Daud.
Richa: It's very flattering, but it's not that at all. Many people are drawing similarities with films like Bonnie And Clyde, Daud and Bunty Aur Babli. I don't think it's like any of them. It's a love story in the context of this gun-heavy, ganglord kind of place.

What do you think is the USP of this film?
Nikhil: It's quirky. You usually see love stories between a good boy and a good girl and how the world around them is slightly bad. This is a love story between a bad boy and a bad girl. There is no justification to what they do. Crime turns them on. You usually see that in films, people become criminals because they need money for maa ka ilaaj, but it's not the case here. They steal and con the world because they like it. They are not trustworthy; when they fall in love, they cannot even trust each other. There's a lot of dark humour. When they want to go on a date, they go loot a bank!
Richa: I do a lot of gareeb films, so I often travel to villages. If you go to small towns, what you see running in the cinema halls are not the latest Bollywood films but something like Phool Bane Angaray... quintessential love stories with guy, girl, villain and dishoom dishoom. I hope that aspect about this film appeals to people. It's like the movies we grew up watching.

So, how different is the romance between a bad boy and a bad girl from the routine love stories?
Richa: There are no pretensions here. They are quite honest with each other and don't go, 'Ji, agar aap bura na maane toh kya main aapka haath pakad loon?' They hold hands, walk and sing songs. They are criminals and warily rely on each other. I believe no matter how bad a person is, they must have a good side. So that way, the romance is quite interesting.

Speaking of cons, were you sweet and innocent as teenagers or were you mischievous?
Richa: I was not evil, but naughty. I used to mimic my teachers when I was in school. One day, few of us were suspended by the principal for a prank we didn't play. We got very upset. So, I called up my teachers, pretending to be one of them and told them that our principal had passed away. I also gave out details of his chautha. They all landed up at his home, only to find him hosing his car (laughs). But I am a reformed person today.

Can you mimic an actress?
Nikhil: Ask her to imitate Lata Mangeshkar.
Richa: Isn't it sacrilege to imitate Lata Mangeshkar? (Speaks like Lata didi) Kya sunna chahenge aap log? Once during an audition, they told me to imitate Madhuri, Hema Malini and Rekha. I think all actors do mimicry of some kind, consciously or unconsciously.

You have used words like saala zandu in the film. How many of the cuss words are from your personal vocabulary?
Richa: I may seem very chichora, but I am not. I went to St Stephens College and did honors in History. These dialogues are there in the film because these are two people who have a criminal background. This is how they talk.

How difficult was it for you two to shoot the lovemaking scene in the film?
Richa: I don't think we should kill the charm of lovemaking for the audience by telling them how we made it. But, I can say it's not fun, and it's not intimate at all. You need a minimum number of people to shoot the scene. I can say we shot ours in a unique, 'vegetarian' way. But you know, when you are trying to shoot the scene, you hear voices instructing you to look up, to place the thermacol here and the reflector there. It's very technical, it's choreographed.
Nikhil: It also depends on your personality. I'm shy, and I didn't want to do something that would not look nice on the screen or look very wrong.
Richa: Doing lovemaking scenes are the most difficult. We should look like we are having the time of our lives, when in fact, we are not. In fact, Nikhil and I shot the scene when we weren't even talking to each other properly! The scenes aren't suggestive, and as clichéd as it may sound, we have shot it aesthetically.

Did you seek each other's permission before going ahead with those scenes?
Richa: He told me he's going to place his hands on my shoulder.
Nikhil: At that time, it can't look like you are acting. Even if it's a slap, you have to tell the other person, 'main kaske ek maarne wala hoon', so that he is prepared. Even when you are falling down, the stunt master tells us to just fall and not defend ourselves with our palms. Same way, when it's a lovemaking scene, you must intimate your co-star so that they don't misunderstand your move.
Richa: Yeah, just to make sure that we know he is not letching and trying to score with me (laughs). I have a theory. People who don't get laid at the right time, take out all their frustrations when they become actors. I've heard this from an actress who had to ask her co-star to remove his hand from her shoulder after the intimate shot was done. If your co-star is not treating you with dignity, it's a kind of harassment.

You'd recently visited the Tihar jail..
Nikhil: It's well maintained by the inmates, is spick and span. It's cleaner than a five star hotel. It's probably the only prison where the jailors actually want the inmates to reform. It's a rehabilitation centre in its real sense.
Richa: They have a Tihar radio there. Most of the inmates double up as RJs, DJs, sculptors; they even have bands. They had called us to creatively and gainfully engage the prisoners. The DIG got emotional and told us that visitors are their only contact with the outside world.
Nikhil: What we loved the most is the handmade gifts the inmates gave us. They make paper bags from recycled materials, with their own logo - TJS. They gave us namkeen and biscuits that they made. They gifted us sweets from their own bakery, served everything themselves.

Describe your equation with each other.
Richa: I didn't like him for the first two years we worked together. Only now have I grown fond of him and understood him. He was so angry and impatient like a militant.
Nikhil: And she was too chilled out. It may not be the right observation, but I felt lack of discipline translated to lack of quality work. But, she was good when it came to her work. On set, I'm very organised and want to do everything according to schedule. But, she actually spends her time socialising with people there.
Richa: Yes, I knew everyone, right from the lightman, and used to hang out with everyone. But I also made sure I was not taken for a ride, that my work didn't lag. The only conversation I had with Nikhil would probably be 'hi, bye.'
Nikhil: But I can confidently say the audience won't even know we were hardly friends while working on the film, because the chemistry and co-ordination is like that.

So, how is your rapport now?
Richa: We are real friends now.But I don't think we will hang out together.
Nikhil: Somewhere, we discovered each other and realised what kind of people we are. And we became friends. Well, it's not like we became friends to promote the film.We could still not be talking and promote it.
Richa: Yes, I can be diplomatic and say 'Nikhil is amaaaaaaazing' (laughs). He is not my 4 am friend, but we can count on each other. He is not my best friend, but we are far more real friends that others who claim they are in the industry.

Describe your onscreen chemistry in one word.
Richa: Electric.
Nikhil: Like a tamancha - chalegi toh goli ke raftaar se chalegi, warna haath mein phat jayegi.