Chetak Screen Awards 2026: Actor Rajpal Yadav at awards ceremony, held on Sunday in MumbaiThe Chetak Screen Awards 2026, hosted by Alia Bhatt, Farah Khan, Sunil Grover, Zakir Khan and Saurabh Dwivedi, Editor, The Indian Express – Hindi, was a star-filled award night with the likes of Vicky Kaushal, Karan Johar, Bobby Deol and many others in attendance. Rajpal Yadav, who recently spent a few days in Tihar Jail because of his cheque bounce case, was also present at the ceremony.ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEOAt one point in the evening, the conversation turned to the ongoing oil crisis and its effect on everyday life in India. It was here that actor Rajpal Yadav said, “So much is happening in the world with so many wars going on. How do I interpret the rupee-dollar fluctuation? I can’t fathom what is happening.”To this, Saurabh Dwivedi responded, “Rajpal bhai, dollar-rupya kitna bhi upar neeche ho, aapko utne hi paise lautane padenge jitne udhaar hain (Rajpal, no matter what happens to dollar-rupee, you will have to return every penny you owe.)” This statement brought a laugh to everyone’s face, including Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. Rajpal also started laughing and said, “Masla toh sun lo ek baar (Listen to my issue once).”By this time, Zakir Khan also jumped into the conversation and said, “Mere khyal se mamla adalat mein hai toh iss baat ko yahi jaane dete hain (I think we should let this conversation be as this matter is still sub judice.)”Also Read: Chetak Screen Awards 2026 LIVE Updates: Dhurandhar leads with 11 wins; Akshaye Khanna, Shalini Vatsa named Best Supporting ActorsPreviously, Rajpal surrendered on February 5 to serve a six-month sentence in a cheque bounce case tied to a loan he had taken in 2010 for the production of his directorial debut film Ata Pata Laapata. The unpaid amount had reportedly grown to nearly Rs 9 crore over time due to interest and penalties. Before surrendering, he publicly stated that he had no money and could see no way out. Following that, Rajpal Yadav secured interim bail in the case.About Chetak Screen Awards 2026Instituted by The Indian Express Group, the Chetak Screen Awards recognise art solely on merit, integrity, and peer respect. The nominees and eventually the winners of the Chetak Screen Awards 2026 were selected through structured voting by the Screen Academy, an independent, not-for-profit body comprising 53 acclaimed filmmakers, artistes and cultural voices, which added to the honours’ credibility.Story continues below this adDr Priya Jaikumar, Chair of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles, and scholar-in-residence at Screen Academy, devised detailed grading guidelines for members of Screen Academy to follow during the voting process.The Screen Academy comprises members such as Rajkumar Hirani, Resul Pookutty, Rima Das, Vidya Balan, Shoojit Sircar, Deepa Mehta, Sriram Raghavan, Ram Madhvani, Guneet Monga Kapoor, John Abraham, Kabir Khan, Karan Johar, Mukesh Chhabra, Payal Kapadia, Prosenjit Chatterjee, RS Prasanna, and Rajiv Menon among others.Watch Chetak Screen Awards 2026 LIVE on YouTube, Sony Entertainment Television, and Sony LIV.