Guess who’s the star who has tattooed his admiration for his fans prominently on his chest

It was Kannada thespian, the late Dr Rajkumar, who first referred to his fans as Abhimani Devaru — or a “fan is God” (according to Google Translate). In the pre-email days, there were some stars who would make the effort to personally reply to letters from fans. And in the age of social media, stars occasionally reach out to fans — for instance, @asksrk sessions by Shah Rukh Khan.

Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, fondly referred to as “Challenging Star” by his fans, has now done something that most certainly sets him apart from the crowd. He has got himself a tattoo on his chest that reads “Nanna Celebrities” — “My Celebrities” in English.

He says it is but a small tribute to all his fans (his celebrities)!

The outspoken Darshan, who has had his share of ups and downs in his personal and professional life, was unofficially banned by the mainstream media after an audio clip, purportedly with his voice, went viral. The voice heard in the clip made some scathing remarks on the media, even using a few decidedly unparliamentary words.

Ever since, Darshan and the media have maintained a mutual distance. And this was all too evident at the time of the release of his latest film Kranti. A majority of the mainstream media did not cover it.

This prompted the actor to appeal directly to his fans to support the film. He also tapped into independent YouTube channels, giving them an importance they rarely receive from stars.

The strategy appears to have worked. The producers of the film have declared Kranti a huge success, claiming it has had collections in excess of ₹100 crore so far.

And, sources close to the star tell South First, it is the success of the film in spite of the media boycott that prompted Challenging Star Darshan to honour his fans by getting himself a tattoo extolling them.