Journalist-turned-actor Saurabh Dwivedi has found himself at the epicenter of relentless online mockery following his screen debut in Kartavya, the recently launched crime thriller fronted by Saif Ali Khan. Though the project initially generated significant hype due to its heavyweight lineup and production backing, public discourse has unexpectedly veered away from the plot, zeroing in instead on Dwivedi’s performance and an Instagram upload by actor Rajpal Yadav.
Netizens have spent days dissecting Dwivedi’s acting, with a wave of viewers panning his vocal delivery and rigid body language. On X (formerly Twitter), several widely shared reactions, while multiple memes teased that his performance felt less like a character and more like an episode of a primetime news debate.
Saurabh Dwivedi’s acting debut draws criticism
Helmed by director Pulkit and backed by Red Chillies Entertainment, Kartavya casts Dwivedi as an influential, shady antagonist intertwined with a high-profile homicide probe spearheaded by Saif Ali Khan’s police officer. Netizens complained that Dwivedi merely imported the identical calculated cadence and speech delivery he utilizes in his standard broadcast interviews. His facial reactions and monologues were rapidly converted into internet memes, with multiple scene clips spreading extensively across video platforms.
Rajpal Yadav’s Instagram post grabs attention
An unexpected social media post from Rajpal Yadav added significant fuel to internet theories. On May 19, 2026, the veteran actor dropped a series of images on Instagram, featuring himself resting on an ornate, royal Maharaja-style armchair. It didn’t take long for observant users to link it directly to a very similar chair tied to Dwivedi’s villainous character in the movie. Speculation instantly mounted that Yadav was taking a quiet jab at the journalist-turned-actor.
Even though Rajpal refrained from tagging Dwivedi or explicitly naming the Netflix project, the flawless timing of the upload led the internet to collectively read between the lines. Interestingly, the underlying tension between Rajpal Yadav and Saurabh Dwivedi stems from a moment months before the film’s premiere.
The award show moment that resurfaced online
The friction traces back to the Chetak Screen Awards 2026, where Dwivedi was the host. During a segment, Rajpal was given the mic discussing macroscopic issues like international instability and volatile global financial currencies. Dwivedi suddenly cut him off, inserting a sarcastic jibe referencing the actor’s highly publicized financial debts.
Saurabh Dwivedi chimed in on stage, saying, “Rajpal bhai, no matter how much the dollar and rupee fluctuate, aapko utne hi paise lautane padenge jitne udhaar hain.”
While the audience inside the auditorium erupted into loud laughter, Rajpal chose absolute composure. Maintaining a calm smile, the actor simply responded: “Masla toh sunn lo ek baar. Main toh masla hi sunana chahta hoon.”
As that specific award show clip began trending again alongside the movie’s release, many netizens slammed Dwivedi for weaponizing Rajpal’s real-life financial and legal struggles for cheap live entertainment.
Rajpal Yadav’s cheque bounce case explained
Rajpal Yadav reportedly acquired a business loan worth ₹5 crore from a Delhi-headquartered firm, Murali Projects Pvt. Ltd., to bankroll his 2012 directorial project, Ata Pata Laapata. When the movie bombed at the box office, it triggered a massive repayment crisis. By 2018, Rajpal and his wife, Radha, faced conviction under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act after an array of repayment cheques repeatedly bounced.
The actor eventually served a six-month sentence of simple imprisonment. Due to accruing penalties and interest over more than a decade, the initial liability ballooned from ₹5 crore to an estimated ₹9 crore. Legal records indicate that Rajpal cleared roughly ₹75 lakh via demand drafts in October 2025, though a substantial chunk of the main debt allegedly remained outstanding. In February 2026, the actor surrendered before the Tihar Jail administration to fulfill his remaining legal sentence before being released.
What is Kartavya about?
Kartavya made its digital debut on Netflix on May 15, 2026. The slow-burn crime narrative centers around Pawan (Saif Ali Khan), an uncompromising, upright lawman who finds himself handling a volatile murder case after a prominent journalist is gunned down while under his direct protection. As Pawan unpicks the threads of the crime, he runs headfirst into a deeply entrenched web of systemic corruption and elite political influence, all while trying to shield his immediate family from violent, retaliatory hazards.
The gritty drama also stars Rasika Dugal, Sanjay Mishra, Zakir Hussain, and Manish Chaudhari.