Rajpal Yadav has two weeks left to convince the Supreme Court he isn't just buying time. On September 15, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, sitting with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, told the actor to put down Rs 2 crore with the court registry and come back with an actual plan to clear the rest of what he owes.

The bench extended his exemption from surrendering till October 5, but not before making its irritation plain. "He is perfect at doing drama but this court. Earlier orders of the court have not been complied with," the judges said, according to Bollywood Hungama, pointing to a pattern of missed deadlines going back years.

Senior advocate PS Patwalia, appearing for Yadav, asked for the two-week window to prepare a detailed payment roadmap and told the court his client would deposit the Rs 2 crore as proof he means it this time. Patwalia also flagged that Yadav has already spent four-and-a-half months in prison over this case, and said he would need help from people in the industry to raise the money.

On the other side, senior advocate Ajit Sinha, representing complainant M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd, told the bench the company just wants its money back. Sinha argued that Yadav has a long history of not honouring what he's promised financially.

The case goes back to 2010, when Murali Projects says it gave Yadav Rs 5 crore towards a film project. Three years later, per the complainant, Yadav handed over seven cheques of Rs 1.05 crore each as part of a settlement, and all seven bounced. A 2012 agreement, the complainant says, had Yadav, his wife Radha Rajpal Yadav, and their company committed to repaying close to Rs 11 crore once interest got added in. Yadav's side hasn't disputed the cheques bouncing, but how much is actually owed and why is what's still playing out in court.

This isn't the first time the top court has stepped in. Yadav had earlier secured interim relief in the matter, at one point being asked to deposit Rs 5 crore. The numbers keep shifting depending on which hearing you're looking at, but the bottom line hasn't: the actor keeps getting one more chance, and the court keeps noting he's used up most of them.

October 5 is now the date that matters. That's when the bench reconvenes, and when it finds out whether Rs 2 crore actually shows up, and whether Yadav walks in with a real repayment plan or another request for more time.