Stand-up comedian Anudeep Katikala was arrested by Andhra Pradesh police from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on April 14 in connection with jokes he made about Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan. The arrest took place three days after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him at the Kakinada Police Station.
According to the available information, the complaint was filed by Bade Venkata, a member of the Jana Sena Party. At the time of the arrest, Katikala was in Prayagraj visiting his parents. He was reportedly on a walk with his father when two police officers approached and detained him.
A family member of the comedian said, "He had already issued a public apology after his jokes started attracting backlash and abusive comments from fans of Pawan Kalyan on YouTube."
The issue began earlier this month after a video of Katikala's stand-up performance was uploaded on YouTube. In the set, he made remarks about Pawan Kalyan and actor Ram Charan, who is the son of actor Chiranjeevi.
In the video, Katikala referred to Ram Charan as a "feminist" for not being insecure about his wife Upasana's financial status. He also made remarks about Pawan Kalyan's personal life, stating that people could learn from him regarding divorce, noting that none of his former spouses had accused him of abuse.
Before his arrest, Katikala had told The News Minute that his intention was not to offend anyone and that he was trying to present divorce in a normalised way. However, the jokes led to strong reactions from some fans of Pawan Kalyan, including threats directed at the comedian.
Following the backlash, Katikala issued an apology and stated that he also intended to normalise feminism through his content.
Katikala has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 356(2) related to defamation, Section 353(2) for making statements that could cause public mischief or alarm, and Section 79 for words or gestures intended to insult the modesty of a woman.
He has also been charged under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
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According to a family member, the police traced his location using his phone number. "As his father is a government official, the local police were informed and they shared details of the FIR. The Superintendent of Kakinada told us that they are only following procedure and that he must be physically present for the case," the family member said.
Katikala is currently being taken to Kakinada by train along with Andhra Pradesh police personnel.
What Did Katikala's Family Say?
The family has alleged that the situation has been taken out of context. "Nobody seems to have watched the video in full context. Anudeep had also praised the actors in English while delivering jokes in Telugu. The police focused only on a specific portion of the video. This witch hunt continued even after his apology," the family member said.
They also stated that police officials informed them that Katikala would be presented before a magistrate and is likely to be granted bail.
Who Is Anudeep Katikala?
Anudeep Katikala is an IIT graduate who later moved into stand-up comedy. He is known for contributing to the Telugu stand-up comedy scene in Hyderabad and is the founder of Silly South Comedy, described as India's first Telugu stand-up comedy collective.
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