Darshan starred in commercially successful films such as Kariya (2003), Kalasipalya (2004), Gaja (2008), Navagraha (2008), Saarathi (2011), Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (2012), Bulbul (2013), Yajamana (2019), Roberrt (2021) and Kaatera (2023).

[7][8][9][10] Darshan was born as Hemanth Kumar[1] to actor Thoogudeepa Srinivas and Meena on 16 February 1977 in Ponnampet, Kodagu district, in the Indian state of Karnataka.

[12] Thoogudeepa is a 1966 Kannada film in which Srinivas acted and gained fame, following which the sobriquet stuck to his name.

Against his wishes, Darshan got himself enrolled in Ninasam, a theatre training institute, in Shimoga, before his father died in 1995.

[13] After graduating from Ninasam, Darshan worked as a projectionist before becoming an assistant cameraman to veteran cinematographer B. C. Gowrishankar.

Darshan subsequently featured in films such as Devara Maga (2000), Ellara Mane Dosenu (2000), Bhoothayyana Makkalu (2000) and Mr. Harishchandra (2001), mostly in insignificant and supporting, often bit roles.

[15] Darshan's major break in films came with Majestic, directed by P. N. Satya and released in 2001, in which he played the role of Daasa, an innocent youth-turned-underworld don.

[6] He then appeared in films such as Kitti, Ninagoskara, Neenandre Ishta and Daasa, produced by Ramesh Yadav.

He played a budding musician in Laali Haadu, a journalist in Lankesh Patrike and a blind poor man in Namma Preethiya Ramu.

[18] Darshan's next film Jaggu Dada saw him play a gangster, and received largely negative reviews from critics.

[19][20] Darshan's next film was Chakravarthy in 2017 based on Bangalore Underworld's true story, which gave a mixed response from the audience, but got recognition for the new look.

[25][26] Darshan had a strained relationship with Vijayalakshmi since 2011, with the latter filing a case for alleged domestic violence that year.

[32] He donated granite slabs for the construction of a memorial of the Dasara elephant Arjuna, which died in a rescue operation in December 2023.

Reports later suggested the CCTV visuals were deleted and the incident was covered up, with the police compensating the waiter with Rs 50,000.

[35][36] Bharat, a Kannada film producer lodged a police complaint against Darshan in 2022 for threatening him with dire consequences.

[37] In November 2023, Darshan was accused of setting up his dogs to attack his neighbor, since she had an argument with his caretaker over the parking space.

An FIR was lodged against the actor under IPC 289 while the neighbor woman was compensated with hospital treatment charges.

An attempted murder case was filed and he was subsequently arrested and spent 14 days in judicial custody at Parappana Agrahara.

[45] In January 2023, Forest Department personnel raided the farmhouse of actor Darshan near T. Narsipur and seized four bar-headed geese on the grounds that he possessed them in violation of the law.