Ram Gopal Varma on Darshan: 'A star using one die hard fan to kill another die hard fan'

    Sharing his thoughts on the arrest of Kannada superstar Darshan Thoogudeepa, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma talked about the twisted nature of a case that highlights the dark side of hero worship.

    Renuka Swamy and Darshan.

    Renuka Swamy and Darshan.

    Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma on Thursday highlighted the tragic irony in the arrest of Kannada superstar Darshan Thoogudeepa in connection with a murder case . In a series of tweets, he shared his thoughts about the emerging details of the case, which has sent shockwaves across the country.

    "A filmmaker is supposed to start shooting only after the screenplay is finalized, but lots of times makers are still writing while shooting is ongoing. However, in Darshan’s murder case, the screenplay started getting written after the film had already been released," said RGV.

    RGV is credited with reinventing the neo-noir genre in Indian cinema with films like Satya. He has also made a series of gangster dramas that are considered modern-day classics. Even he couldn't help but wonder about the twisted nature of a case that highlights the dark side of hero worship.

    "A star using one die-hard fan to kill another die-hard fan who was interfering in his personal life is a perfect example of the bizarreness of the star worship syndrome. Fans wanting to dictate how their stars should run their lives is an unavoidable side effect of the same syndrome," he added.

    Earlier this week, the Bengaluru police arrested Darshan for the murder of Renuka Swamy. According to reports, Renuka Swamy was a devoted fan of Darshan and had posted obscene comments on the Instagram account of Pavithra Gowda, who is said to be Darshan's girlfriend.

    Renuka Swamy, a native of Chitradurga, held Pavithra Gowda responsible for issues in Darshan's marital life and ranted against her on social media. To teach him a lesson, Darshan allegedly asked members of his fan club in Chitradurga to bring Renuka Swamy to Bengaluru. The victim was allegedly subjected to torture and assault at Darshan's behest. Subsequently, Renuka Swamy succumbed to his injuries, and his body was dumped in a drainage in Bengaluru.