Darshan Thoogudeepa

Some Lesser Known Facts About Darshan Thoogudeepa

• Darshan Thoogudeepa grew up in Kodagu, Karnataka.

  

• In childhood, he worked as a light boy and projectionist in various Kannada films.

  

• He did his schooling in Mysore.

  

• After completing his schooling, he applied for admission to Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara Polytechnic, Mysore.

  

• Against his father’s wishes, Darshan then enrolled in Ninasam – Nilakanteshwara Natyaseva Sangha, a theatre training institute in Shimoga, before his father died in 1995.

• In 1966, his father appeared in the Kannada film Thoogudeepa with which he gained immense popularity. Since then his father started using Thoogudeepa after his name.

• After his father’s death, he worked at their hotel and sold cow milk to meet the family’s financial expenses.

• He then modelled for Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore.

• Before making his career in acting, he worked as an assistant cameraman to the Indian cinematographer B. C. Gowrishankar.

• As an actor, he made his debut with a TV serial by the Indian film director and producer S. Narayan. He then played a few small roles in TV serials for which he used to receive Rs 200 per day.

• Darshan has acted in many popular Kannada films including ‘Kariya’ (2003), ‘Saarathi’ (2011), ‘Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna’ (2012), ‘Ambareesha’ (2014), ‘Yajamana’ (2019), and ‘Kurukshetra’ (2019).

  

• In 2006, he started his film production house named Thoogudeepa Productions.

• He has produced a few Kannada films like ‘Navagraha’ (2008), ‘Bulbul’ (2013), and ‘Maduveya Mamatheya Kareyole’ (2016).

• He has lent his voice to various Kannada films’ songs like “Haago Heege” from ‘Saarathi’ (2011), “Khel Khatam” from Ambareesha (2014), and “Dasharatha Title Track” from ‘Dasharatha’ (2019).

  

• He started his film distribution company named Thoogudeepa Distributors in 2013. Some of his Kannada films as a film distributor are ‘Ugramm’ (2014), ‘Oggarane’ (2014), ‘Rhaatee’ (2015), ‘Buguri’ (2015), ‘Melkote Manja’ (2017), and ‘Life Jothe Ondu Selfie’ (2018).

  

• As a narrator, he has worked in a few Kannada films like ‘Dasharatha’ (2019) and ‘Ombattane Dikku’ (2022).

• In January 2024, the Indian actress Pavithra Gowda shared a reel along with Darshan after which it was speculated that Darshan and Pavithra were in a relationship.

• On his YouTube channel D Boss Kingdom, his interviews, work-related videos, and personal videos are uploaded.

  

• Darshan has played cricket for the Celebrity Cricket League from the team Karnataka Bulldozers.

  

• He has also started a cricket league named Thoogudeepa Cricket League.

  

• He is a religious person and regularly visits various temples.

  

• He is an avid animal lover. He has also adopted a few animals from various zoos. He owns a mini zoo.

  

• Darshan follows the teachings of the spiritual leader Parama Poojya Siddaganga Sri.

• He has campaigned for the Indian politician Sumalatha in various political rallies.

  

• He has been associated with various social welfare organisations.

  

• He has a huge fan base in Karnataka, and his fans have started an online fan group named D Company.

  

• In 2019, he was appointed as the brand ambassador of the Forest Department of the Karnataka Government.

• In 2023, he campaigned for the BJP in the 2023 Karnataka legislative assembly election. Whereas, in 2024, he campaigned for Indian National Congress candidate Star Chandu during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

• He was once one of the highest-paid actors in the Kannada film industry.

• In an interview, he shared that he smokes and consumes alcohol.

• On 11 June 2024, Darshan, his rumoured girlfriend Pavithra Gowda, and ten other people were arrested in a murder case of a man named Renuka Swamy.

  

• It was later revealed that Darshan was angry with Swamy for his abusive messages to Gowda. Swamy often made bad comments on Gowda’s Instagram account for causing problems between Darshan and his wife, Vijay Lakshmi.

• One source revealed that Darshan contacted Raghavendra, the organiser of Chitradurga’s Darshan Fan Club to gather information about Renuka Swamy.

• Reportedly, Darshan made a plan and told Raghavendra to bring Swamy to Darshan’s place. Swamy, a die-hard fan of Darshan, was happy upon hearing this and agreed to go to Bengaluru with Raghavendra. Another source claimed that Swamy was kidnapped from Chitradurga to Bengaluru.

• Allegedly, Darshan and the other accused beat Swamy with sticks, and Darshan also kicked Swamy in his private part. They also slammed his head with an auto parked in the shed.

• Darshan denied any involvement in the murder and claimed during the police investigation that he met Swamy and slapped him twice for sending such messages to Gowda after which Swamy apologised to him. He said that he gave money to Swamy to eat lunch and left the place.

• It was also said that on the day of the murder of Swamy, Darshan partied the whole night.

• On 16 June 2024, Darshan, Pavithra Gowda, and other accused were remanded to police custody till 20 June 2024. According to the people present in the court, Gowda started crying in the court while Darshan remained calm.

  

• In August 2024, a photo of Darshan went viral on the internet in which he was seen sitting on a chair in a garden while holding a cigarette and drinking coffee in the Central Bengaluru Jail. After the photo went viral, many police personnel were suspended and an inquiry into the matter was ordered by the Karnataka government. ^[9]NDTV