Rajpal Yadav reacts after Saurabh Dwivedi humiliates him for Rs 9 cr fraud at awards; Salman Khan speaks out

The recently held Screen Awards have been garnering headlines for almost everything, from Alia Bhatt's cringeworthy hosting style to her loud dialogues and jokes on various films and situations that eventually fell flat. The show was co-hosted by Sunil Grover, Saurabh Dwivedi and Zakir Khan.

The Screen Awards streamed live on YouTube; those who couldn't watch it were deeply disappointed with various clips being shared on Instagram and Twitter, as fans had taken bits and pieces from the award show and turned them into reels. Some of the comments and clips have been blown out of proportion without the complete context that led to social media users slamming Zakir Khan and Saurabh Dwivedi for their comments.

Here's what happened.

Rajpal Yadav, one of the most loved comedians, faced an unusual charge of fraud and was in jail for a cheque bounce case for weeks. Rajpal Yadav is now out after paying a certain amount, but still hasn't paid Rs. 9 crore in the cheque-bounce case for which he was arrested. During the award function, journalist Saurabh Dwivedi, who was also hosting the awards, took a jibe at Rajpal Yadav over his Rs. 9 crore cheque-bounce case.

He said, "Rajpal bhai, no matter how much the dollar and rupee fluctuate, aapko utne hi paise lautane padenge jitne udhaar hain."

Saurabh's dig at Rajpal Yadav irked many, while many celebrities smiled. But it was Rajpal Yadav's dignified response that made him look like a true star. Rajpal smiled and also burst into laughter, stating, "Masla toh sun lo ek baar. Main toh masla hi sunana chahta hoon." ( listen to me once).

Netizens slammed Saurabh for his comment on a public platform and humiliated Rajpal for the ongoing cheque bounce case.

Not just netizens, Salman Khan came out in support of Rajpal and tweeted, "Rajpal bhai aap 30 yrs se kaam kar rahe ho aur hum sabne aapko repeat kiya hai baar baar kyunki aap apna kaam jante ho aur ek value laate ho, kaam toh aapko bohot milega aur issi dollar rate pe milega aur milte rahega. Hakikat yeh hai.." 

(Rajpal, you are working for the last 30 years here and we all have worked multiple times with you because we know you know your job and bring value to it. You will continue to get work and at the rate of the dollar. This is the reality)."

He added, "Aur yeh yaad rakhna ke kabhi kabhi flow mai kuch nikal aata hai, dena hi hai toh dimag mai rakho dil se kaam karo, dollar upar ho ya neeche kya farak padta hai dena toh India mai hi hai @rajpalofficial.." 

(Please remember that we often say things on the flow but let it remain within you. Let the dollar go down; what does it matter? You will be giving it in India only)

Netizens praised Salman for tweeting about Yadav

Rajpal has also shared a video statement after the massive backlash that Saurabh has been facing ever since the video went viral.

Sharing a video message, he said, "I was fortunate to go to the Screen awards the other day. I got a chance to meet the entire industry there. There was a lot of dancing, skits and singing. The atmosphere was great. Various skits were going on. One of the things that Saurabh and Zakir and I talked about was the world. There are wars in the world which impact the economy. Everything is going up and down. The common man has to get into this. We tried to make a skit for the entire world".

He further mentioned, "Sometimes it happens in films. We design the scene. But the meaning of the scene does not reach the audience in the right way. This is cinema. Saurabh and Zakir are like my younger brothers. They have always given me respect. They are my heart. We are artistes, journalists, painters, storytellers. We are always connected to each other. Saurabh made the entire auditorium stand up and applaud my work. Thank you, Saurabh".

"Please do not criticise Saurabh. Please do not hurt Saurabh's feelings. Hurting Saurabh's feelings means hurting my feelings. If you say anything about Saurabh, it will hurt my feelings. I love Saurabh, I love Zakir, I love you all. I am here because of you guys. Thank you.."

Rajpal was sent to Tihar Jail in connection with a Rs 9 crore debt and cheque bounce case in February this year. However, the actor was granted interim bail on February 16 and is now back to completing his work commitments. Later, the Delhi High Court also clarified that Rajpal would not be taken back into custody even after the earlier interim order was vacated.

Rajpal will be seen in the upcoming film Bhooth Bangla, which also stars Akshay Kumar and Tabu. The film is scheduled to release in cinemas on April 17, with paid previews beginning on April 16 at 9 pm.