Rajpal Yadav was 20 when first wife Karuna died during childbirth; second wife Radha raised daughter as her own

Rajpal Yadav, who is known for making the country laugh with his impeccable comic timing, once opened up about a deeply personal tragedy from his early life. In a throwback interview with The Lallantop, the actor revealed that he lost his first wife when he was just 20 years old.

Rajpal Yadav was earlier married to Karuna, who sadly passed away in 1991 during the birth of their daughter, Jyoti. Recalling that painful phase, he shared, “Back in the day, if you were a 20-year-old man with a job, people would ask your family to get you married. So, my father got me married. My first wife, she just delivered a baby, a daughter, and died. I was supposed to meet her the next day but was then carrying her dead body on my shoulders. But thanks to my family, my mother, my sister-in-law, it never felt like my daughter didn’t have her mother, she grew up with a lot of love,” Rajpal had shared.

Despite the unimaginable loss, Rajpal said his family ensured that his daughter never felt the absence of a mother’s love.

‘After my guru, my parents... the one who supported me the most is my wife’

Years later, Rajpal found love again and married Radha in 2003 and they have two other daughters named Harshita and Rehanshi. . In the same interview, he credited her for being his biggest pillar of strength and for raising Jyoti as her own daughter.

“I have never asked my wife to wear saree or anything. The way I talk to my mother, my wife talks to her the same way. She learnt the language, one day when I reached the village, I saw that woh muh dhak ke baithi hui hai (she covered her face and sat there), because in villages women live a certain way. Whenever she visits the village–during Holi and Diwali–no one can gauge that she knows five languages!... After my guru, my parents, the one who supported me the most is my wife, 100 percent. Radha also raised the daughter I had from my first wife, as her own. She is in Lucknow today, happily married but the credit goes to my family and wife. I did nothing, I was just a medium, everything came along and helped,” he had added.

Jyoti is now settled in Lucknow and happily married, something Rajpal attributes entirely to his family and Radha’s unwavering support.

Rajpal Yadav surrenders at Tihar Jail

Rajpal is currently facing ongoing legal troubles linked to his 2010 directorial debut Ata Pata Laapata.

The film’s box office failure led to financial strain and multiple cheque-bounce cases. He was recently sent to Tihar jail after the Delhi High Court rejected his plea seeking additional time to repay outstanding dues amounting to nearly Rs 9 crore.

The court noted that he was required to pay Rs 1.35 crore in each of the seven cheque-bounce cases filed against him and directed that the amount already deposited with the registrar general be released in favour of the complainant.

Rajpal Yadav's directorial debut, 'Ata Pata Laapata': All about the film that led him to Tihar jail

In 2010, Rajpal had borrowed Rs 5 crore from M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd for the film, which eventually triggered a prolonged legal dispute.



Before surrendering, he said that he had no means to repay the amount and, when asked if he sought help from colleagues, remarked, “Everyone is on their own” in the industry.

The bail hearing is scheduled for February 12. His manager, Goldie, shared that the actor’s family is optimistic that Rajpal will be out of jail soon. Celebrities including Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Varun Dhawan, Sonu Sood, Guru Randhawa, and Rao Inderjeet Singh Yadav, among others, have offered financial support to Rajpal to help him repay his outstanding loan.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”