Did Kranti star Darshan just take a dig at Kannada actors playing villain in other industries?

During the first press briefing for his next release Kranti, Challenging Star Darshan had promised that he’d give every one present one-on-one interviews in the days to come. The actor has been living up to that promise, which is also why, those following the actor are probably getting to see a couple of new video interviews popping up every day, given the sheer number of social media influencers.

While Darshan has been talking extensively about the film, which is releasing in theatres on January 26 and why he will not promote it as a pan-India release, some of the things he has been saying have netizens wondering if he is throwing shade at Kannada actors who have been working in neighbouring industries, albeit as supporting actors or antagonists. Speaking to an online channel, Darshan said that if he were to express interest, he would probably get a lot more money and there would be a line-up of 5-foot-tall actors to ‘beat up’ this 6 foot 3 inch guy. “I won’t do it. Kannada audiences have put me on a pedestal as a hero and I would rather remain a leading man here,” he has been quoted as saying.

Although there are several actors from Kannada who are currently playing antagonists in, say, Tamil and Telugu cinema, like, for instance, Shivarajkumar, Duniya Vijay, Dhananjaya, etc., Darshan’s comment, say netizens, is directed at his one-time close ally and now foe, Kiccha Sudeep. While some thought that it was an unnecessary taunt, others didn’t read too much into his statement, maintaining that Darshan only meant that he’s happy doing 1-2 films in Kannada cinema as hero.

In earlier interviews, Darshan explained that Kranti has been made as a Kannada film to cater to his fans. While it will be dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu, he will not travel to these markets to promote the film, he had said.