Darshan on his dashing physique in Kranti: 'Fans deserve value for their money'

Either by design or happenstance, Challenging Star Darshan seems to have mastered the art of staying in the news. The 45-year-old actor has been in the thick of all the Kranti promotions and in these pursuits, has been making the headlines for the past couple of months for reasons that are quite dicey. From his sexist "goddess of luck" comments to the slipper incident in Hospet, controversy has flanked Darshan throughout.

However, the Kranti trailer has luckily diverted the conversation to something more "fleshy" or physical. One of the main highlights of the 2-minute and 58-second long trailer is the concluding shot of the Challenging Star flaunting his toned physique as he performs a slo-mo bare-upper body walk for his fans. Aside from the massy premise and the punchy lines, the trailer also showcases Darshan's stark physical transformation and his many million celebrities are overjoyed at the moment.

Netizens have praised Darshan for regaining his old mojo and shedding all the corona weight he had gained. While the new leaner and more chiselled attracted its own share of memes, the hardcore DBoss fans were showering compliments on the actor for his dedication and hard work.

"Despite being 45 years old, he has gone through a transformation for a movie. Instead of trolling him, one should be happy for him," wrote a user.

And speaking about his new look at the recent Kranti trailer press meet, Darshan said, "You are looking at these visuals now but did you see me during corona? But jokes apart, I would like to say that although the trailer is available for free, people will watch the film only by paying money for their tickets. And I have a lot of respect for that money. It's my responsibility to offer value when you come to watch me on the big screen."

When quizzed by a reporter about the amount of time he spent on the transformation, Darshan said, "Leave all the aside and tell me if you felt happy looking at me. If the answer is yes, then I am satisfied. It doesn't matter how many months went into that."

Kranti, also starring Rachita Ram, Sumalatha Ambareesh, V. Ravichandran, Samyukta Hornad, and others, will release in theatres on January 26.