Darshan: I am cut-throat when it comes to box-office competition; on a Friday, everyone’s a challenger

More often than not, if you ask a popular star about the number game in the film industry, the likely cliched answer is that he/she does not pay attention to it and that it doesn’t matter to him/her. Namma Challenging Star Darshan, though, does not beat around the bush on the subject – he’s very clear that the number game and a star’s box office pull is pivotal for survival.

The Kannada superstar, who has been busy with one-one-interviews for the promotions of his upcoming film Kranti, was speaking to the Film Companion, when a question about the number game was posed to him. The actor, who is known for his candid responses, admitted that it is important to him and that on a Friday, everyone is a challenger. He said, “If another actor has a release on the same day as I do, it is important for me to see who will emerge victorious in the box-office challenge. On that Friday, everyone’s a challenger. It’s a different matter that on the very next day I may go and party with the same person. But box-office supremacy is pivotal to me; I’m cut-throat when it comes to box-office competition.”

In fact, Darshan’s Kranti is releasing for the Republic Day holiday along with Shah Rukh Khan’s much-awaited Pathaan. While talking about his current workout regime that’s seen him shed over 20 kgs, the actor had addressed this box-office clash indirectly. Darshan, who has always been vocal that he owes his superstardom to his celebrities (fans), said that although he had piled on the pounds during the lockdown, he realizes the importance of being in shape and presentable onscreen. “Audiences are using their hard-earned money to buy a ticket and watch my film. I have to make it worth their time. Also, when they come into a multiplex, for instance, and see a cut-out of a Bollywood hero with his six-pack abs, etc., and then have one of me completely out of shape, they would not want to come to my film. I have to make them think it is worth investing in my film and for that, being fit is very important,” he reasoned.

Earlier this year, when KGF: Chapter 2 released and took the box-office by storm across the country, a post by Hombale Films, addressing Rocking Star Yash as the Sultan of the box office had sparked a fan war, with Darshan fans claiming that he and not Yash is the only deserving candidate for that title.