Kannada film star Darshan Thoogudeepa
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: In the wake of Kannada film star Darshan Thoogudeepa’s arrest in a murder case, some filmmakers who were working with him on upcoming projects are in a tight spot.
Following the controversy, the much-anticipated Darshan-starrer ‘Devil’ by Milana Prakash — which was supposed to hit the screens in December — has come to a standstill. His untitled projects in the pipeline include a film on freedom fighter Sindhoora Lakshmana’s life.
Speaking to DH, the producer of a yet-to-be-titled film said: “We look at an actor’s market before putting in our money and time. Having known Darshan since his childhood, I believe he is innocent and hope he will come out of the mess he has got into.”
Noting that the film has been indefinitely stalled, he said they have signed him for the next film too. “I only hope the issues are resolved before we commence shooting.”
Another producer working with Darshan on a project said he had agreed to the project since he and Darshan have been friends for a while.
“The script is ready and it has been written keeping Darshan in mind. Hence, it is impossible to cast someone else in his place. We hope things get resolved at the earliest because this is a big-budget film.”
From the fraternity
Speaking to DH, actor-activist Chethan Ahimsa felt there were three reasons behind such controversies involving celebrities. “It’s primarily a manifestation of toxic masculinity. In this and similar cases, women’s bodies have become a battleground for male ego. Also, it’s a direct fallout of people taking the law into their own hands.”
Chethan also observed that violence in films was percolating directly into real life.
“Thirdly, there is a tendency to look at film stars as larger-than-life characters. They are undeservedly placed on a pedestal and get drunk with fame and money,” he added.
While maintaining that the film industry is resilient by nature, he hoped the star culture would get undermined in the industry.
Speaking to DH, KFCC president N M Suresh condemned the murder of Renukaswamy.
“As of now there is no ban. We are awaiting the police report. We will conduct a meeting involving producers’ association, artistes’ association, directors’ association and KFCC and later take a decision.”