Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was sent to six-day police custody on June 11, in connection with the murder of one Renukaswamy. The victim was a fan of the actor, and was allegedly tortured and killed for allegedly harassing Pavithra Gowda, a close friend of Mr. Darshan, online.
The police had taken nine persons for questioning in connection with the murder when Darshan’s name was also mentioned, following which he was taken into custody. After seven hours of intense questioning and a medical examination at Bowring Hospital, the Kamakshipalya police produced Darshan and his associates, as well as Pavithra Gowda, before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court. The court granted the police six-day custody of the accused for further investigation.
Darshan, along with 12 of his associates, have been accused of kidnapping 33-year-old Renukaswamy from Chitradurga, brought to a Pattanagere plot owned by Vinay (one of the accused)’s uncle Jayanna and torturing him to death before his body was carried and dumped in a storm water drain in Kamakshipalya on June 8.
Keeping controversy close
Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa being sent to police custody after a medical checkup following his alleged role in murder over obscene texts, at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru on June 11, 2024 | Photo Credit: ANI
Darshan — known as Challenging Star, Daasa Darshan or DBoss among his fans — is among the leading actors in the Kannada film industry. He hails from a film family and is the son of Thoogudeepa Srinivas, who was a popular actor during his times and was known for portraying negative roles. Darshan is married to Vijayalakshmi and has a son.
Darshan began his acting career in the mid-1990s but his first big-screen break came in the 2002 with film Majestic. Since then he has starred in many successful commercial films like Kariya (2003), Kalasipalya (2005), Gaja (2008), Navagraha (2008), Saarathi (2011), Bulbul (2013), Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (2012), Kurukshetra (2019), Yajamana (2019), Roberrt (2021) and Kaatera (2023).
His on-screen portrayals of a common man on a quest for social justice or an innocent youth dragged into the Bengaluru underworld have been complemented by his off-screen image as a philanthropist and animal-lover, endearing himself to the masses. He is among the highest paid actors in Sandalwood and his popularity in the industry is unparallelled. However, Darshan is no stranger to controversies.
In 2011, the actor got into trouble for allegedly assaulting his wife, Vijayalakshmi. The actor was arrested by the Vijayanagar police, and booked for attempt to murder and domestic violence. The couple buried the hatchet after mediation by several bigwigs of the industry, led by Ambareesh.
In January 2023, forest department officials raided Darshan’s T.Narsipura farm on the outskirts of Mysuru following a social media video where the actor is talking about the four bar-headed geese on his farm. Officials said the endangered bird was protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, and the actor was possessing them in violation of the law.
Early this year, in January, Darshan was among several Kannada film stars who were issued notices by the Subramanya Nagar police in connection with partying late into the night, in violation of the deadline, and creating ruckus at Jetlag pub on Dr. Rajkumar road in Bengaluru. Actors Darshan, Dhananjaya, Abhishek Ambareesh, and producer Rockline Venkatesh, and others were celebrating the success of Kaatera.
Published - June 12, 2024 01:11 pm IST
