Stand-up comic Manoj Prabakar has found himself at the centre of an online backlash following clips from his recent political comedy set, with social media reactions spiralling beyond criticism of his material into sharp, often personal attacks invoking caste identities.
The controversy began after excerpts of Prabakar's performance, which included jokes targeting political figures such as Udhayanidhi Stalin, circulated widely online. While some viewers praised his willingness to take on multiple political figures, a section of users said the jokes did not land and criticised the set as unfunny or forced.
In the clipping that is being shared on social media, Manoj Prabakar goes on to roast everyone in power, from Narendra Modi to MK Stalin to Udhayanidhi, and on the smug self-image of Tamil Nadu itself. He tears into PM Modi's 12 years in office, compares our gut to a stomach that has eaten only Gujarati food and is desperate even for "Italian Rahul," and openly jokes about violence against minorities. He calls Tamil Nadu "UP-Bihar with more graduates," nails our casual racism with the "vadakkan = N-word" riff, and ridicules Periyar fanatics for stealing credit like Dhoni fanboys. Then he goes straight for the core of Dravidian power: DMK-AIADMK as the same corporate product, DMK as the "Aranmanai" dynasty franchise, and a state where you can become anything "except deputy chief minister" because that slot is reserved for the family.
That is the context in which the Udhayanidhi portion lands. Manoj explicitly says he likes DMK's stated ideology on equality, but then rips into the entitlement of a son whose life was "settled" at tenth standard, whose "capacitor" career is built on constantly "taking charge," whose GST jokes end with "SGST is going to his pocket," and whose easiest constituency win is in a place that has voted DMK forever. It isn't a Sanghi caricature; it's an insider's disappointment. He even underlines that he is from a DMK family, that his father is an "honest DMK supporter" who has supported "the entire DMK family tree," and that he himself leans left, not right.