A one-minute clip from the highly anticipated Kannada movie Gowri has surfaced on illegal torrent sites and the Telegram app, just days before its scheduled release on August 15. The leaked footage, an intense action sequence, is set in a ‘shed’ and has sparked conversations due to its striking parallels with the recent controversy surrounding Sandalwood star Darshan.
The clip features Samarjit, the film’s protagonist, engaged in a fierce battle with the antagonist and his henchmen inside a shed. This setting has drawn comparisons to the ongoing legal case against Darshan, who, along with his associates, is currently in judicial custody. They are accused of kidnapping a fan named Renukaswamy from Chitradurga, detaining him in a shed near Darshan’s home, and ultimately beating him to death. Pavithra Gowda, Darshan’s girlfriend, has been named as the prime accused in the case, with Darshan as the second accused.
In the leaked clip, the antagonist confronts Samarjit, taunting him by saying that his father had already been ‘taught a lesson.’ Samarjit retorts, emphasizing that everyone views their father as a hero and that he is there to exact revenge. Has Indrajit exacted an on-screen revenge against Darshan by such portrayal in the film is not clear. If Darshan has been depicted in a negative manner in the film, it is likely to cause animosity among his fans many of whom have vowed not to watch films in theatres till the actor is released.
The film’s director, Indrajit Lankesh, and Darshan have a history of animosity. Their feud began two years ago when Lankesh, a journalist by profession, publicly exposed an incident in which Darshan allegedly assaulted a waiter at a hotel. Lankesh claimed the incident was covered up to protect the actor, a charge that Darshan denied. This led to a public spat, and eventually, the media boycotted Darshan after an audio clip of the actor verbally abusing the press went viral. The boycott was lifted after Darshan issued an apology just before the release of his film Kaatera in December 2023.
