Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa has anger issues, a co-star has claimed amid allegations that he got a man killed for posting lewd comments about his co-star Pavithra Gowda.

Anusha Rai, another co-star of Darshan, said in a recent interview she couldn’t believe that the actor was involved in the murder case and that he was a very humble and caring person.

“He has anger issues, but he is also very humble and good. He doesn’t get angry about everything. People talk to him carefully. When I speak to him, I keep within my limits. Darshan has openly admitted in interviews that he has anger issues,” she told Hindustan Times.

She, however, said she wasn’t aware of Darshan’s relationship with Pavithra. Ms Rai also expressed concern about the actor’s wife and 15-year-old child, who are facing hate comments online.

“They need to be left in peace,” she said.

Renuka Swamy, a 33-year-old resident of Chitradurga in Karnataka, was allegedly tortured and killed by Darshan and his fans after they kidnapped him from his home on June 8. Next morning, his body was found in a drain in Bengaluru.

His autopsy found 15 wounds on his body and revealed that he died of shock and haemorrhage.

Darshan, a popular name in the Kannada film industry, was arrested two days later from his Mysuru farmhouse. Pavithra, his co-star, has been named the main accused in the case, and is also in custody. 

Actor Sanjjanaa Galrani, who has worked with him, had earlier told NDTV that he was a “demigod figure” in the Kannada industry and that his arrest marked a “black day” for the artistes.

On Darshan’s “temperamental nature” and past controversies, Ms Galrani had defended him saying he was a “soft-spoken gentleman” with a respectful and gentle nature.

“The person being spoken about in the news and the person that I know feel like two different personalities,” she had stated.