Amid Cauvery issue, Darshan takes a dig at Rajinikanth's Jailer: 'It made Rs 36 crore in Karnataka, but...'

Kannada superstar Darshan Thoogudeepa has stoked a new controversy with his comments on the ongoing Cauvery water-sharing issue between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Recently, he took part in a protest rally, where he addressed the issue while expressing concerns about the water scarcity in the state.

The Cauvery conflict

Historically, movies are the first casualty when the conflict between the two neighbouring states flare-up over the water-sharing issue. And the actors in both states come under a lot of pressure to take a stand on the matter.

The pressure on movie stars

ALSO READ: Rajinikanth’s Jailer’s on OTT, but film continues to draw crowds to theatres in Karnataka

Darshan demanded to know why the onus of speaking out against such a pressing issue only falls on a handful of people when others who make a fortune from the same ecosystem go scot-free. Without naming names, he spoke about a film distributor, who made massive profits by distributing a hit Tamil movie. 

Darshan was referring to Superstar Rajinikanth's latest hit Jailer, which shattered several box office records at the Karnataka box office. Not just the original Tamil version, but the movie's Kannada version also set a new record by earning close to Rs 6 crore in the state. 

ALSO READ: Jailer box office collection: Kannada version of Rajinikanth's film shines bright

Darshan questions unequal accountability

"Recently a Tamil movie was released. A distributor bought it for Rs 6 crore and made a profit of about Rs 36 crore. What (only) Tamilans watched that (film)? Why don't you ask him (distributor) to comment on the matter? Why only Darshan, Sudeep, Yash or Shivaana are visible? Aren't these people visible to your eyes? They took Rs 36 crore from Karnataka but you don't ask them anything," asked Darshan, while speaking at a protest rally. 

Earlier Darshan also posted a brief statement on his social media pages on the water-sharing issue. The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has issued an order asking the Karnataka government to release 5000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days. Many celebrities, including Sudeep, have tweeted on the matter, urging the state government to protect the interests of the farmers of Karnataka.