The stage was set. But this time, the hero, heroine, filmmakers and crew were not making any work of fiction, instead popular Kannada actor, Challenging Star Darshan Tugudeep, and wife Vijayalakshmi were addressing the press for the first time after he got out of jail on bail on Friday.
Darshan, the reticent actor who never talks to the press until he's at a conference or needs to convey something, was his usual pithy self. “I'm sorry; I have committed a mistake,” he readily accepted and apologised. “I know I've offended all people who believed in me and supported me, but I'm willing to change and I will start my life afresh."
The actor was honest enough to admit that unlike his father, who was an on-screen villain, he ended up being the bad guy off screen. “I am resentful for what has happened. I've had a lot of time to do a little soul-searching and realise my mistakes when I was alone over the past few weeks. I want to be a good husband and a good father. This will be my priority now,” he said.
Darshan, who has tasted one of his biggest successes with the release of his brother Dinakar Tugudeep's Sarathi, was ecstatic that the media has supported him despite his low stage. “I am grateful that you've praised our film. I did get the news of how the film was doing from some of my close people and it was something that made me extremely happy. We had put in our heart and soul into this film,” he said.
With regards to the alleged relationship with Nikita Thukral, Darshan denied it being the reason for bitterness between his wife Vijayalakshmi and him. “There is no truth to it. She is someone with whom I have worked in many films and shared a good professional relationship with. I have portions of Sangolli Rayanna pending with her, which should resume shortly. I don’t think this incident will affect our professional relationship,” he said.
As of now, Darshan will look at finishing his two pending projects. “I know there may be a few dates that may have gone haywire, but I will focus on immediately working towards completing my two pending projects — Chingari and Sangolli Rayanna,” he said.
The makers of both these films admitted that they had not had any major losses due to the actor and Darshan’s bail was their only concern. “We are all very happy that he is out. The past few weeks have not affected either of the films and his well-being was all that we were worried about. There have been no financial losses. We will now look at working towards finishing our films, only once he and his family are in a better state of mind,” said Naganna, director of Sangolli Rayanna, which is supposed to be a high-budget film.
Manu, who is producing Chingari, said, “We are left with only four days of shoot. We plan to shoot that in about 15 days' time. The post-production of the film has been going on simultaneously. Most of the film is ready. We plan on hitting the screens after Sarathi completes 100 successful days at the box office.”
Darshan's brother Dinakar, who's basking in the success of Sarathi, said, “My biggest high was on Friday, when my brother stepped out of the jail, a week after my film’s release. People may or may not have liked it [the film], but I was happy seeing my brother step out of the prison.”
