Darshan Thoogudeepa, a superstar of the Kannada-language film industry in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, has been under arrest for the past 10 days in connection with a crime that resembles the plot of a movie.
He is among 17 people picked up by the police for the murder of Renukaswamy – a 33-year-old fan of the actor – after his body was recovered from a drain.
Earlier this week, Bengaluru city Police Commissioner B Dayananda said Renukaswamy was “killed in a very brutal and barbaric way” and described it as a “heinous crime committed in a horrific manner ”.
Police said they believe the 47-year-old actor was angry with Renukaswamy, who worked for a pharmacy company, because he had allegedly sent lewd messages on social media to Pavithra Gowda, an actress who has been described in the Indian press as Darshan’s girlfriend. She is among those arrested.
The charges against the suspects include “murder, kidnapping, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy”.
Darshan is in jail and has not commented on the allegations but his lawyer Ranganath Reddy told the BBC that during their meetings, the actor denied the charges against him.
“These are mere allegations at the moment,” he said. “The police have no direct evidence against Darshan. It’s a case of circumstantial evidence.” Mr Reddy also called claims that Pavithra was married to Darshan “a blatant lie”.
Regarded as the most bankable star of the Kannada film industry, Darshan has starred in about 60 films and many of them have been huge hits.
“He’s the biggest star in the Kannada film industry, with a huge fan following. His face is plastered behind auto-rickshaws and new releases of his films see fans pouring milk on his hoardings,” says film critic S Shiva Kumar.
Kannada film producer Yogish Dwarakish says Darshan is “one actor who can guarantee you an extraordinary opening”.
“His films release in 600-700 screens in 400 theatres. His fans worship him. He’s a star who delivers every single time. His latest, Kaatera, grossed more than 1bn rupees ($12m; £9.4m) and was a mammoth hit.”
Reports say he charges 200-250 million rupees for a role – a figure unheard of in the local film industry, where films usually have small budgets and a majority don’t even get released in the neighbouring southern states.
So, it’s not surprising that since 11 June – when the police turned up at the hotel in Mysuru city where Darshan was staying while shooting for Devil, his latest film – his dramatic arrest and the aftermath continue to make headlines in the state.
