File photo of actor Darshan Togudeepa. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was sent to six-day police custody on June 11 in connection with the murder of a man named Renukaswamy. The victim was a fan of the actor, and was allegedly tortured and killed for harassing Mr Darshan’s close friend Pavithra Gowda online.
The police had detained nine people for questioning in connection with the murder, including Darshan, following which he was taken into custody. After seven hours of intense questioning and medical examination at Bowring Hospital, the Kamakshipalya police produced Darshan and his accomplices 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 and his 12 companions are accused of abducting Renukaswamy, 33, from Chitradurga and taking her to a plot in Pattanagere belonging to Jayanna, the uncle of Vinay (one of the accused). There, they tortured and killed her and dumped her body in a drainage ditch in Kamakshipalya on June 8.
keeping the dispute close
Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa is being remanded to police custody after a medical examination following his alleged role in a murder over obscene messages. At Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru on June 11, 2024. Photo Credit: ANI
Darshan — popularly known as Challenging Star, Dasa Darshan or DBoss among his fans — is one of 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 in his time and was known for playing negative roles. Darshan is married to Vijayalakshmi and has a son.
Darshan started his acting career in the mid-1990s, but he got his first chance on the big screen in 2002 with the film ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’. PlushSince then he has starred in several successful commercial films such as Curia (2003), Kalasipalya (2005), yard (2008), nine planets (2008), Charioteer (2011), Nightingale (2013), Revolutionary Sangolli Rayanna (2012), Kurukshetra (2019), Host (2019), robert (2021) and Katera (2023).
His on-screen portrayals as a common man in search of social justice or an innocent youth dragged into the Bengaluru underworld have complemented his off-screen image as a philanthropist and animal-lover, making him popular among the masses. He is one of the highest-paid actors in Sandalwood and his popularity in the industry is unmatched. However, Darshan is not untouched by controversies either.
In 2011, the actor landed in trouble for allegedly assaulting his wife Vijayalakshmi. The actor was arrested by the Vijayanagara police and booked for attempt to murder and domestic violence. The couple settled the dispute after mediation by several industry stalwarts led by Ambareesh.
In January 2023, forest department officials raided Darshan’s T. Narasipura farm on the outskirts of Mysore, following a video on social media in which the actor is talking about four bar-headed geese on his farm. Officials said the endangered bird is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, and the actor was keeping them in violation of the law.
Earlier this year, in January, Darshan was among several Kannada film stars who were issued notices by the Subramanya Nagar police for partying late into the night, violating time limits and creating a ruckus at the Jetlag Pub on Dr Rajkumar Road in Bengaluru. Actors Darshan, Dhananjay, Abhishek Ambareesh and producer Rockline Venkatesh and others were celebrating the success of the film. Katera,
