Unsavory incident unites Sandalwood

Sudeep condemns slipper attack on actor Darshan, says it disturbed him: He didn’t deserve this kind of treatment

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The incident of a slipper being hurled at Sandalwood star Darshan in Hospet on Sunday evening is taking on many hues. While the who-is-who of the film industry including another star Sudeep, who is not on talking terms with Darshan, have come out in his support, the real focus is on fan-wars.

Even two days after the incident, it refuses to die down and despite some sane voices, continues to create bad blood between fans of various Kannada actors. Most fans of Darshan are on a war-path (thankfully only online) against fans of the late actor Puneeth Rajkumar.

Though the police or anyone else has not confirmed the identity of the attacker, the anonymous person is being termed a fan of the late actor. Darshan incidentally garlanded the bust of Puneeth a little while before the incident. He was in Hospet to release a song for his upcoming film Kranti.

Darshan fans allege that a fan of Puneeth who were upset with the huge turnout for Darshan at Hospet, hurled the slipper. Darshan was on stage along with the film team. He pacified his fans and left the venue after the incident.

As the heat turned on Puneeth fans, Shiva Rajkumar released a video statement condemning the act and said whoever the perpetuator should be punished. Actress-politician Ramya aka Divya Spandana posted screenshots of fans of Darshan who had abused her online and said, “All fan clubs must maintain decorum. All actors must caution their fan clubs from trolling other actors or anyone for that matter. Don’t post derogatory comments with regards to women and children. All abuses and cuss words targeted towards women.” She also urged Twitter to ban all those accounts.

Sudeep penned a long statement condemning the incident and warning fans against such acts. “Darshan has contributed a lot to this industry and our language. The differences between us aren’t something that will stop me from speaking about what I truly feel. He surely didn’t deserve this kind of treatment and it disturbed me as well.”

In his statement, Sudeep also called out Puneeth’s fans and wrote: “As far as Darshan is concerned, I agree there may have been a situation that isn’t so pleasant between him and Puneeth fans. But is this reaction Puneeth himself would have appreciated and supported? An answer to this is something that probably each of his beloved fans know.”

“Our land and culture are all about love and respect. Every problem has a solution, and every solution has multiple ways of being solved. Is this the reaction Puneeth himself would’ve appreciated and supported? An answer to this is probably each of his beloved fans know,” the actor said.

Speaking to News Trail, Umesh Banakar, the president of the Kannada Film Producers Association (KFPA) said, “Shiva Rajkumar and Sudeep speaking out has laid a very good foundation for fans to reconcile and treat all actors with respect. I do hope and wish that this incident does not escalate further.” Right-wing also blamed A few days before this incident, Darshan was in the eye of another storm.

The right-wing took exception to his remark in an interview where he said the ‘goddess of fortune’ should not be allowed to go out of one’s room. Some fans blamed the rightwing for the attack based on this scenario.