Exclusive! Darshan: If media wants me to answer their questions, they should answer mine too

Unlike other A-list Kannada stars, Challenging Star Darshan is more often than not in the news for his alleged drunken brawls, accidents, issues at his farmhouse in Mysuru, and financial dealings, among others. These are things that make for juicy headlines, TRPs, as the case maybe, so mainstream media pursues it with a vengeance, much to the actor’s displeasure. Darshan, who does not like talking to the media unless it is about his work, then ends up having to defend his words or actions, so, his equation with mainstream media is rarely ever smooth.

Currently, Darshan is under a media ban of sorts. His upcoming film, Kranti, has not got the support of mainstream TV media and his entire promotional campaign hinges on social media influencers. OTTplay caught up with the actor for a video interaction about the film, his fans and, of course, his ‘tumultous’ relationship with the media. In the past, Darshan has been vocal about wanting to keep his private life out of the prying eyes of the media. His most recent media altercation, though, has been about a cheating case, which was in the public domain, and hence, had the media behind him for answers.

In an interview with a leading English daily, Darshan had said that his motto with media was that if they are good to him, he’s good to them and vice versa. That brought us to the question – if the media only has to be good to him, won’t that become propaganda? Shouldn’t media uphold journalistic ethics and present both sides of a story? “What you are saying is absolutely right,” said Darshan in response, adding, “When I say be good to me, what I mean is you can ask me questions and I will answer them. But then, I will also have questions, which the media too should answer. It is not their right to insist that only they will ask questions and that I should answer all the time. I do not want them to boss over me just because they are from the media. They cannot insist that just because they are from the media I have to respond at any cost. Also, whatever they ask has be about a matter concerning me and not somebody else. If you ask me about something that’s happened in, say, your house, and expect me to comment, how am I supposed to know anything about it?”

Watch the full video with Challenging Star Darshan here: