Darshan Thoogudeepa
Indian Actor and Film Producer
| Date of Birth | : | 16 Feb, 1977 |
| Place of Birth | : | Ponnampet, India |
| Profession | : | Indian Actor, Film Producer |
| Nationality | : | Indian |
| Social Profiles | : |
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
|
Darshan Thoogudeepa known mononymously as Darshan is an Indian actor, producer, and distributor who works predominantly in Kannada films. One of the leading contemporary actors of Kannada cinema, Darshan established the production house Thoogudeepa Productions in 2006. Its first production was Jothe Jotheyali, with Darshan in a special appearance. His performances in Anatharu (2007) and Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (2012) won him praise from critics; his performance in the latter as the 19th-century warrior Sangolli Rayanna won him the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor.
Early life
Darshan was born to actor Thoogudeepa Srinivas and Meena on 16 February 1977 in Ponnampet, Kodagu district, in the Indian state of Karnataka. He was given the name Hemanth Kumar at his birth. Thoogudeepa is a 1966 Kannada film in which Srinivas acted and gained fame, following which the sobriquet stuck to his name. A popular actor during his time, he was reluctant towards Darshan following his path of film acting. Against his wishes, Darshan got himself enrolled in Ninasam, a theatre training institute, in Shimoga, before his father died in 1995. Darshan has a sister, Divya, and a younger brother, Dinakar, a filmmaker, running the production house, Thoogudeepa Productions. As a child, Darshan studied his primary and secondary education at Mysuru.
Early career
After graduating from Ninasam, Darshan worked as a projectionist before becoming an assistant cameraman to veteran cinematographer B. C. Gowrishankar. His first acting role came in S. Narayan's television soap. Narayan then offered him a supporting role in his 1997 film Mahabharatha. Darshan subsequently featured in films such as Devara Maga (2000), Ellara Mane Dosenoo (2000), Bhoothayyana Makkalu (2000) and Mr. Harishchandra (2001), mostly in insignificant and supporting, often bit roles. This period also saw him play minor roles in other television soaps.
Controversies
Darshan was involved in a controversy in September 2011, when his wife complained to police, accusing him of domestic violence. He was subsequently arrested and spent 14 days in judicial custody at Parappana Agrahara. However, the marital discord was later settled out of court.He issued a public apology to his fans for the controversy. Though this was expected to dent his image, his immediate release Saarathi (2011) performed well at the box office. In 2016, his wife approached Bengaluru police to complain for Darshan's 'objectionable behaviour'.In 2021, Darshan was accused of assaulting a waiter at a Mysuru hotel. It was further alleged that the police had covered up the incident and the waiter was given Rs 50,000 as settlement. Bharat, a Kannada film producer lodged a police complaint against Darshan in 2022 for threatening him with dire consequences. In Jan 2023, Forest Department personnel raided the farmhouse of actor Darshan near T. Narsipur and seized four Bar-headed geese on the grounds that he was possessing them in violation of the law.
Filmography
He began his acting career in soap operas and small films in the mid-1990s. His first film in a lead role was the 2002 film Majestic. Darshan starred in commercially successful films such as Kariya (2003), Kalasipalya (2005), Gaja (2008), Navagraha (2008), Saarathi (2011), Bulbul (2013), Yajamana (2019), Roberrt (2021) and Kaatera (2023).
Quotes
Total 0 Quotes
Quotes not found.
