Hyderabad-based stand-up comedian Anudeep Katikala has been facing abuse and threats of violence from Tollywood fans, for making jokes on actors Ram Charan and Pawan Kalyan, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and the chief of the Jana Sena Party. Ram Charan is Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi’s son while Pawan Kalyan is Chiranjeevi’s younger brother.
The anger of the ‘Mega’ fans – a term used to refer to fans of ‘Megastar’ Chiranjeevi and his family members – is mainly based on two jokes. In a video published recently on YouTube, Anudeep called Ram Charan a “feminist” for appearing secure even though his wife, Upasana, is wealthier than him. He also said that people must learn from Pawan Kalyan how to divorce their wives, as the divorces seem to have been amicable and he hasn’t faced any accusations of ill-treatment or abuse from his two ex-partners.
Speaking to TNM, Anudeep said that he meant to normalise feminism and divorce through these jokes. He also said that Pawan Kalyan fans were angry about Jana Sena’s political rival, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), using clips from his video as ammunition to mock and attack their leader on social media.
Mentioning that he has also received death threats apart from abuse, Anudeep said that he jokes about all Telugu stars in his performances. “The video includes a joke on Jr NTR, who I am a fan of,” he said.
Warnings from Jana Sena Party leaders, abuse from ‘Mega’ fans
On Saturday, April 11, Sandeep Dhanapala, a fan of Ram Charan and Pawan Kalyan, allegedly showed up along with a group of fans at The Street comedy club, where Anudeep was expected to perform, but Anudeep wasn’t present. Visuals from the venue showed Sandeep hurling misogynistic abuses and demanding that the performer who was on stage, Bhagat Anukanti, summon Anudeep.
“They intimidated my friends who were performing there and demanded my phone number, but they refused to give it. The venue’s owner finally convinced them to leave,” said Anudeep.
Many followers of Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party have also threatened Anudeep online and demanded an apology, saying he insulted the Deputy CM.
Jana Sena leader Kiran Royal, who is facing accusations of extortion and intimidation from a woman, threatened Anudeep and called for his imprisonment to set a precedent so that others don’t make such jokes on political leaders.
Another leader, Sandeep Panchakarla, Jana Sena party in-charge for Bheemili, also demanded an apology, saying, “If you do not, be prepared to face the full weight of legal consequences.”
Other X accounts and YouTube channels handled by fans have also lashed out at Anudeep for his jokes.
Both Ram Charan and Pawan Kalyan have not issued any statements, nor have they said anything to restrain their fans yet.
‘Harmful’ jokes
Anudeep’s video starts with observations about Telugu swear words. Noting that most of them are misogynistic or casteist, he mentions one particular expletive which usually means freeloader. He says that the word was originally used to refer to a man who lives off his wife’s earnings, or a man whose wife earns more than him. He goes on to say that from a feminist perspective, the word is not an insult at all.
He says he himself would like to be a [expletive] and marry a richer woman and adds, “Basically, I want to become Ram Charan.”
Ram Charan is married to businesswoman Upasana Kamineni Konidela, Vice Chairperson of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Apollo Hospitals, founded by her grandfather Prathap C Reddy and run by her family.
Anudeep goes on to say Ram Charan is a “hardcore feminist” and “very comfortable in his own masculinity”.
Speaking about this joke, Anudeep told TNM, “The whole point of the joke is to say Ram Charan is a feminist and I want to be one like him. I used the [expletive] when I found out what it originally meant. I took creative liberties to define it more specifically and said it wasn’t really an insult. If you’re a feminist, you’re in a secure relationship, and not ashamed of your wife earning more than you, you can be proud of using that word to refer to yourself.”
He said that people seem to have taken offence based on the word, even though he tried explaining in the video that he was trying to give it his own, feminist interpretation.
The other joke that fans are upset with involved Pawan Kalyan. Anudeep says in the video that Pawan Kalyan’s niece Niharika Konidela, who recently got divorced, could take advice from Pawan Kalyan on how to handle things. Pawan Kalyan has been divorced twice, and this fact is frequently invoked by his political opponents in the YSRCP to mock him.
Anudeep goes on to say that men must learn from Pawan Kalyan how to divorce their wives, since his divorces appear to be amicable, and neither of his ex-wives have made allegations of mistreatment.
Speaking to TNM, Anudeep pointed out that he had mentioned in the middle of the joke that divorce itself is not a funny thing, and that they must have had personal reasons to do it.
“The only point of that joke is that when you’re in a difficult situation, you try to take advice from someone who has already been through it. If you’re getting knee surgery, you might take advice from a relative who has already undergone one,” Anudeep said.
The video also has jokes on Balakrishna fans, and the infamous rivalry between Pawan Kalyan and Mahesh Babu fans. Noting that he himself is a fan of Jr NTR, Anudeep jokes that he put on weight inspired by Jr NTR’s appearance in the 2006 film Rakhi.
Anudeep said that comics are used to such angry responses, especially in the Telugu states with their aggressive fandoms.
“Stand-up comedy is still new to Telugu audiences. Such incidents may set a precedent for new comics, that this is where you draw the line,” he said.