It’s a happy day as our ‘challenging star’ Darshan Thoogudeepa turns 43 today! Known for taking up the most challenging roles in the Sandalwood industry, the actor first started out his career with the film Mahabharatha in 1997 as Babu and ironically completed 23 years of his career with his 50^th film with Kurukshetra which narrated the Mahabharatha from Duryodhana’s perspective.

Kurukshetra is a mythological movie. Darshan earned a lot of appreciation for this film as he played the role of the brave warrior Duryodhana. The actor , who is known for essaying challenging roles roles, pushed the envelope in this movie. He portrayed the role with finesse and ensured that it evoked pathos as well as awe, especially since Duryodhana has always been perceived as a flawed character.

Snehana Preethina showcases the romantic side of Darshan. The story is about two rich friends Raghuram and Rajiv who want their children Adi and Lakshmi to marry each other. Adi loves Sindhu and Lakshmi loves Surya (Darshan), who are from poor families. While his acting is commendable, this particular role of Surya shows Darshan’s intense side too.

This action film is about Arjun who joins the police force to fulfill his father’s wish. Darshan is a sure source of inspiration through his role in this film where he tries to cleanse the society of all crimes. This, however, costs him his father’s life who is killed by a bunch of criminals.

Boss is an action film and be sure to experience double trouble while watching this one! Confused? Darshan plays a double role of Ram and Raj who are twins, who are separated when Raj is ousted by his father due to his bad behaviour. Years later, when Raj learns that Ram has been killed, he returns to seek revenge.

For those who haven’t seen the romantic side to our birthday boy, Darshan, catch him in his chocolate boy form as Vijay who rejects a proposal as he is in love someone else. Life takes a turn for Vijay when the girl, dejected in love, tries to end her life. This angers her father who then tries to kill Vijay.

Catch Bul Bul exclusively on ZEE5!