The woman, identified as Sarojini Ranbir, hails from Chhattisgarh’s Porath village, which is approximately 16 kilometers from Palsada in Odisha.
Trigger Warning: This article contains gruesome details of murder and violence, which could be triggering for some readers.
Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa is set to stay in judicial custody for the alleged murder of Renukaswamy till August 11. The superstar of Kannada cinema, along with his associates including alleged lover Pavithra Gowda were presented before the magistrate court on August 1, 2024.
As per IANS, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had submitted a remand application before the court seeking an extension of judicial custody. Reports suggest that this decision was taken so that the case was not disrupted by the suspects.
Furthermore, it is also reported that the bail was denied in order to prevent the star from intimidating witnesses of the case with his social prominence. The police had already warned about this due to a complaint about threats to witnesses filed with local authorities.
Moreover, various technical evidence and analysis reports are still being reviewed which may be significant for the investigation’s development. Recently, Darshan had filed a petition in court, seeking homemade food and a bed to be provided to him over his declining health.
However, the court had rejected his initial plea which led to the actor filing a fresh one again at the court. He has challenged the earlier decision claiming that he is entitled to receive resources from private sectors to maintain himself.
For those unaware, Darshan Thoogudeepa is booked by Bengaluru Police and is in judicial custody over the alleged murder of Chitradurga native Renukaswamy. As per the allegations, the victim had made some lewd and obscene comments against the actor’s rumored lover, Pavithra Gowda.
In retaliation to the comments made, the actor had orchestrated the young man’s murder and is also rumored to have tortured him as well. The actor along with actress Pavithra were apprehended on June 11, 2024, in the murder case.
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No One Killed Jessica, India’s Most Wanted and now Pill. You tend to naturally gravitate towards investigative thrillers.
I don’t know. I think if you look at my filmography, there are dramas, thrillers and films from many genres and subgenres. Aamir, my first film, was different. No One Killed Jessica again was a very dramatic thriller, then Ghanchakkar was completely different. It took no direct inspiration from real life, it was a dark comedy. Even Raid had drama, humour and thrills. I think I go by what I feel in terms of the story that I want to tell. I don’t pick a subject simply because it is inspiring. It has to have the potential to be engaging and entertaining, as well. I look at subjects from the merit in their story, not just what comes to my mind naturally. If I just select subjects based on instincts, I guess I would end up restricting myself as a filmmaker.
How did you zero in on the idea of making a show on Big Pharma?
The germ of the idea came thanks to my association with Ronnie (Screwvala, producer). He and I have worked together on a couple of films. We made No One Killed Jessica and Ghanchakkar together. We had been thinking of doing something together again and I think while we were chatting, he came up with the idea of exploring a story on pharma. I was also reading stuff on that subject for a couple of weeks, and I thought it would be a nice idea to explore.
What excites you about a subject?
When I can form a narrative in and around a subject. This narrative should be engaging, entertaining and also thought provoking. It should also be able to give the audience some introspection along the way.
Were you consciously looking for an opportunity to try your hand at the long form format?
No, I had been toying with the idea of trying the longer format for a while. I was approached by a few OTT platforms to develop ideas but honestly, I didn’t have a story to tell. Also, I was too busy writing and directing my film projects. That’s why I took time to make my first series. There was no subject that I thought would benefit from me telling the story. But when the subject of Pill came into my mind, I thought there was something in this story I wanted to tell.
Did you enjoy working on an OTT series?
Pill is my first attempt at it, so of course it has been quite challenging. The language of feature films is different from the language of web shows. As a filmmaker, you get to learn from every attempt at storytelling. You learn a lot of things along the way. While making Pill, I learnt a totally new grammar of filmmaking, one that I could only explore in the longer format. This is a very different kind of filmmaking grammar.
Will we see more OTT shows from your stable?
I am focussed on my feature film projects. Raid 2 with Ajay sir is being finalised for a release soon. Apart from that, there are other projects that I have been working on. But for me to make my second OTT show, I will have to get inspired like I did with Pill. It’s been a special project with Riteish (Deshmukh) and the entire team, but I am yet to zero in on the subject for an OTT show.