He made his directional debut with Lootere (1993), for which he also wrote the story. The film was produced by his brother Suneel Darshan, and was a hit at the box office.
In 1996, he made his second film in a big way with Raja Hindustani, starring Aamir Khan and Karisma Kapoor. The movie was the biggest hit of that year as well as one of the biggest blockbusters of the 90s. It was also much appreciated as Darshan won the Filmfare Best Movie Award and several awards at the Star Screen Awards ceremony.
He took a break of four years after the success of Raja Hindustani. He returned in 2000 with two releases, which were directed and written by himself. His first film Mela starring again Aamir Khan was disastrous at the box office and was poorly reviewed by critics. However, his second release Dhadkan with Akshay Kumar and Shilpa Shetty did moderately well at the box office and won him acclaim. He was nominated for Dhadkan in different award ceremonies in the Best Director, Best Film and the Best Story categories.
His next release in 2002, Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya starring Karisma Kapoor and her boyfriend of that period, Abhishek Bachchan was a remake of the 1981 film Ek Hi Bhool and was a complete failure for Darshan at the box office and with critics.
The 2005 film Bewafaa was the next venture of Darshan. It was expected that the film would be a success because of its successful songs and well known stars. However, it performed below averagely at the box office and received average reviews.
His latest release in 2006 was Aap Ki Khatir (2006) which was a remake of the Hollywood hit The Wedding Date. It was also a disaster at the box office and with critics.
