Even as the Karnataka film fraternity continues to stay silent on the issue of the arrest of popular Sandalwood actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and actor and model Pavithra Gowda in connection with a murder, popular south Indian actor Sanjjanaa Galrani has come out expressing solidarity with the actor.
Sanjjanaa Galrani, who acted along with Darshan in the 2008 action movie Arjun and the 2014 film Agraja, said the arrest of the actor came as a "doomsday" for the Kannada film industry and added that it came as a shock to her and every person in Karnataka.
Speaking to NDTV, she called Darshan "a demigod figure" in the industry. She said people don't just watch the films of Darshan, but they actually worship him.
She claimed that Darshan is a respectful and “soft-spoken gentleman,” who respects women. "He would not even call me by my name while shooting. He would refer to me as 'ji suniye' and 'amma,'" she was quoted as saying.
She said she had even discussed with her a scene in a film that involved him lifting her up.
When asked about the past controversies involving Darshan, she said she feels like the person being spoken about in the news and the person she knows are two different personalities.
ALSO READ: Who is Pavithra Gowda, the Kannada actor and model arrested along with Darshan for alleged murder
She said it is too early to jump to conclusions and that the legal process must be respected. "When something like this happens with a celebrity, if there is a 5 per cent allegation, it becomes a 500 per cent allegation,” the actor was quoted as saying.
