Kannada film fans are stunned over the arrest of superstar Darshan Thogudeepa in a murder case that has also brought the co-accused Pavithra Gowda, an actor and fashion designer, to the limelight. Pavithra, a close friend of Darshan for over 10 years, regularly shares photos and videos on social media with the actor. Pavithra and Darshan’s wife Vijayalakshmi have engaged in a battle on social media over these posts.
Sandalwood and Kannada movie lovers learnt about Darshan and Pavithra’s relationship when the latter replaced her profile picture with a photo of the superstar on Facebook and Instagram in 2017. Soon enough, Pavithra became a target of Darshan’s fans, following which she deleted the photos. The issue resurfaced in January this year when Pavithra shared intimate moments with Darshan as an Instagram reel. The reel, celebrating 10 years of their relationship, was captioned, “One decade down; forever to go.” The reel was in response to a photo posted on Instagram by Vijayalakshmi which showed her with Darshan and their son.
Vijayalakshmi hit back by posting an old photo of Pavithra with her husband Sanjay Singh and daughter Kushi Gowda. In the Instagram story, Vijayalakshmi said, “I hope this woman comes to her senses before posting a photo with somebody else’s husband. It talks about her character. Despite knowing the man is married, she still chooses to come and stay for her own personal needs. I generally don’t resort to social media to wash my dirty linen but I feel now it’s time to raise my voice in the best interest of my family…”
Vijayalakshmi also threatened to take strict legal action against those who are trying to paint a different picture. Pavithra, in response to Vijayalakshmi’s post, claimed that her relationship with Darshan was based on mutual love and care. “Living together for 10 long years is no mean achievement. Vijayalakshmi once told me that she had no problems with our affair,” said Pavithra.
Pavithra Gowda’s past relationship
Pavithra has acted in movies such as ‘Chatrigalu Saar Chatrigalu’ and ‘Bathas’. She fell in love with Sanjay Singh, a resident of Chamrajpet, and married him at the age of 18. Kushi Gowda is their daughter. However, the marriage did not last long. After divorce, Pavithra has been living with her daughter. Rumours about Pavithra and Darshan’s affiar emerged in 2015. However, it became public when Pavithra posted the photo with the superstar on social media in 2017.
Wedding with Vijayalakshmi
Darshan married Vijayalakshmi on May 14, 2000. In 2011, she filed a complaint against him for domestic violence, following which, he was placed under 14-day judicial custody. Vijayalakshmi, who was active on social media till recently, has unfollowed Darshan on social media after allegations of his involvement in the murder came to light.