Kranitveera Sangoli Rayanna or Unfaithful Abuser?

Dear readers,

I am back with yet another blog. I just realised that all of my blogs have a question as a title. Can’t help it friends, most of the things I write about are questions that come to me, which in turn I pose to everyone here.

Recently, about a year ago, there was a news item on Kannada actor Darshan. He had cheated on his wife, and assaulted her with a gun when she questioned him. I shall not go into too many details, but let me give you a gist of the incident, for the ones who are unaware of this case. So Darshan is a dude, who for some strange reason is nicknamed Challenging Star, or something like that. In September last year, he was arrested for beating his wife Vijaylakshmi. It was not the first time that he had raised his hand on her, he had been assaulting her for several years now. This time round, she suffered some serious injuries, and had to spend a few days in the hospital.

The story before that goes something like this. He had an alleged affair with an actress, Nikita Thukral, and his wife objected to it. Every time she raised an objection to his womanising (apparently there were others also), he would hit her. She tried to take the help from Shivarajkumar, one of the senior actor from the Kannada film industry, when she should have ideally gone to a lawyer or the police, (strictly my personal opinion), who did his best to sort things out. Looks like Shivarajkumar’s intervention did not help, as the fights continued.

Eventually, he hit her, burnt her with cigarette stubs, and threatened her with a gun. Not to mention, he also threatened to harm their three-year-old son. She ended up in the hospital with severe face and neck injuries.

Needless to say, Darshan was arrested, with an attempt to murder case against him. Immediately, no sooner than he was arrested, big names (old movie actors, yesteryear heroes) such as Ambareesh, ran to the hospital to meet Vijaylakshmi. To console her, to offer their support, to tell her to get well soon, you ask? Absolutely not, they went there to talk her out of the case. They wanted her to withdraw the complaint, and ‘reconcile’ with her husband. I don’t know what happened at the hospital, what those old men told her is anybody’s good guess. At the end of it, however, she agreed to withdraw the complaint. Perhaps she was threatened with dire consequences; it seems likely to me.

Luckily, for her, the police refused to withdraw it. His bail plea was rejected as well. The Kannada Producer’s Association imposed a three-year ban on actress Nikitha Thukral, for allegedly having an affair with Darshan. Luckily for humanity, several people, notable actors included, objected to this foolish, unfair, and totally needless action, and it was withdrawn in three days.

So basically, to sum up, Darshan beats up his wife, she ends up in hospital, senior actors go to her and tell her to withdraw her complaint, ban a totally unconnected person, and do their best to get the perpetrator out of jail. Why did it not occur to these old men, that wife beating is wrong? Why did they not go to him, and advise him to mend his wayward life, and stop beating his wife? Her wounds were there for everyone to see. Still, they felt it more important that she ‘forgive’ him and live with him as though nothing happened. They did not think, for a moment about her security in the company of that gun-toting maniac.

There is a saying in Sanskrit, “Yathra naryasthu poojyante, ramante thathra devataha.” The lords reside where women are respected. Clearly, in this case, lords have run far away, and it is demons who are making merry.

The couple reunited soon (in a few days), and she was seen begging the magistrate, with tears in her eyes, to save her husband. She changed her statement, and said that she sustained injuries when she ‘fell in the bathroom’. She apparently said in a press conference, “My husband is 75% good”. Well, madam, we are happy to know that he has more than 50% of goodness in him.

Other comments include one that says, “Though this will leave a black spot in his career, he will always remain a great hero. People will forget about this issue.” A great hero, seriously?

Friends, let me conclude my thoughts here, now please let me hear your thoughts.

 

Thank you for the first post, RGS ji.

Yes, true enough, many women are stuck in dead and abusive marriages. in fact Vijaylakshmi even said that she did not give a complaint before this, as she did not want to damage his reputation. Was she protecting him at the cost of her life? It looks like that.