Hyderabad: The crackdown on stand-up comedians who make jokes on leaders from ruling parties in Andhra Pradesh has continued with Telugu Desam Party supporters disrupting comedian Sarat Uday’s Bengaluru show Saturday. The group demanded an apology for jokes involving Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh, who is the Minister for Human Resources Development.
The incident took place in Koramangala around 7 pm. About a dozen people claiming to be supporters of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) interrupted Sarat within the first few minutes of his set.
Soon after questioning the comedian, the TDP supporters began verbally abusing and threatening him. The entire incident was captured on video. Even after the comedian explained that he had issued a public apology in December 2024, he was forced to apologise again, two years after he had made the jokes.
The miscreants then demanded that their tickets be refunded and left promptly after the comic offered to do so.
“The video of my apology was issued then itself, and it is on YouTube. I had also joked about the YSRCP [YSR Congress Party] as well, and not just TDP. The management called the police, but by the time the cops had come, they left,” Sarat told The Print. He is a Hyderabad-based artist.
This is the third incident of comedians facing intimidation or police action for jokes about politicians. Earlier this month, Anudeep Katikala and Rafiq Muhammad were arrested for cracking jokes on Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister and Jana Sena Party (JSP) supremo Pawan Kalyan. Katikala was picked up by Andhra Pradesh police from Prayagraj and taken to Kakinada, while Rafiq was arrested in Vizag and taken to Machilipatnam, where the case has been registered.
Katikala joked about Kalyan and actor Ram Charan, son of ‘mega star’ Chiranjeevi, who happens to be Kalyan’s older brother. In his set, he said that people could learn from Kalyan when it comes to divorce, as neither of his ex-wives has accused him of abuse. Before his arrest, Katikala told The News Minute that his jokes were not meant to offend, but that he was trying to normalise divorce.
Rafiq also joked about Kalyan’s marriages. Both comedians faced FIRs based on complaints by JSP workers.
Also read: Andhra police arrests Hyderabad comic in UP for Pawan Kalyan joke. Witch hunt, says family
What happened on Saturday
In the video involving Sarat, the incident begins with a man from the audience walking up to him on stage.
“I’m your fan, you do comedy very well. But in one show, you insulted our leader,” the man says. While it comes across as harmless at first, the miscreant is soon joined by two more people, and another group walks in.
Despite Sarat’s apology, they start abusing him.
“How dare you make jokes about Naxalites’ assassination attempt on Chandrababu Naidu?” one says. A threat then follows.
“If you make such a mistake one more time, mark my words.”
(Edited by Prasana Bachchhav)