#BossofSandalwood: Twitter and fans celebrate 25 years of Challenging Star Darshan with great gusto

It was on this very day of August 11 that the Challenging Star embarked on his glorious journey and found his very first starring role in the 1997 film Mahabharatha.

Darshan in his look from his next, Kranti

Actor Darshan Thoogudeepa’s reputation as a bona fide mass hero certainly precedes him today but the journey to this pinnacle began exactly 25 years ago. Yes, it was on this very day of August 11 that the Challenging Star embarked on his glorious journey and found his very first starring role in the 1997 film Mahabharatha.

Directed by S. Narayan and starring Charanraj, Vinod Raj, and others, Mahabharatha also featured a young Darshan Thoogudeepa in a minor role. Although the acting credit wouldn’t immediately fetch exciting offers for the Kranti actor, one can proudly say that the makings of the superstar began on this very note.

In the very spirit, social media is abuzz with celebratory posts as the hashtag ‘Boss of Sandalwood’ trends on Twitter. Popular known as DBoss (owing to his larger-than-life image), Darshan’s fans have been marking the special silver jubilee with praises for his hard work and rigor towards superstardom.

A self-made superstar

Although Darshan’s father Thoogudeepa Srinivas was an acclaimed character actor himself, the opportunity to star in films wasn’t given to him on a platter. Darshan himself has alluded to the fact that his father did not want either of his kids to be part of the movie business and that it was his mother who aided both him and his brother (filmmaker Dinakar Thoogudeepa) in their pursuits.

Having already tasted glory and success on the stage as a 14-year-old actor (thanks to Mandya Ramesh’s casting), Darshan would then join the revered Ninasam cultural centre to hone his skills. Just as when he had things aligned, tragedy would strike abruptly in the form of his father’s death and thus forcing him to endure financial and other hardships along the way. Yet, Darshan wasn’t to be deterred.

Did you know Darshan’s first remuneration was Rs. 90?

Darshan’s desire to be part of the movies eventually brought him to Bengaluru but the beginnings were humble and testing, to say the least. He would find a job as a light boy on the sets of the Shiva Rajkumar starrer Janumada Jodi (1996) and earn a measly Rs. 90 a day before the first acting opportunity came calling. However, the first lead role came about almost 5 years later, in 2002, in the form of Majestic which not only became a blockbuster success at the time of its release but also catapulted Darshan to overnight fame!

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