Jailed For Murder, This Actor's Film Eyes Double Digit Opening At Box Office As Fan Frenzy Soars

Kannada actor Darshan is facing murder charges in the case related to the kidnapping and killing of his fan Renukaswamy. Darshan, his alleged partner Pavithra Gowda and 15 others were arrested on June 11, 2024, on charges of kidnapping and brutally murdering Renukaswamy, who had allegedly sent derogatory and obscene messages to Pavithra for maintaining a relationship with a married man.

While Darshan is in jail and awaiting trial, his movie The Devil hit the big screens on December 11. The advance booking was progressing at a good pace, which hinted that The Devil would open to good numbers. As per early box office trends for the opening day, The Devil is looking to breach the double digit mark domestically.

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It earned ₹7 crore by 7 pm, with the majority of the biz coming in from Karnataka. However, the movie has received mixed reviews and is likely to suffer because of that. Many on social media were surprised to see the overwhelming turnout for a movie screening of an incarcerated actor.

Also read: X Review: Darshan’s The Devil Is A ‘Masterpiece Of Disaster’

An alleged court order has disallowed the publication of reviews and ratings of the movie on ticket booking platforms like BookMyShow, but fan frenzy around the film is certainly peaking.    

Darshan's conduct in the prison has also been questionable. Last year, leaked pictures showed him receiving VIP treatment from the jail authorities. As pictures of him smoking and leisurely sitting with other inmates went viral, he was shifted to another prison. He even managed to secure bail in the fan murder case but was sent back to prison as backlash followed. 

Most recently, he is also facing charges of subjecting two of the co-accused in the fan murder case to mental and physical torture in the Bengaluru Central Prison.

It is alleged that Darshan has been kicking co-accused in the case while they are sleeping and talking to them rudely. Unable to take the torture, two of Darshan's associates, Jagadish and Anukumar, have asked the authorities to shift them to Chitradurga prison.