Deva Katta is an Indian-American film director. His films Vennela, Prasthanam and Autonagar Surya were widely received and have a cult following among Telugu audiences. In 2010, Prasthanam was showcased in the Indian Panorama section at the International Film Festival of India. The film also won two Filmfare awards including Filmfare South Critics Award for Best film and Nandi Award for Best Feature Film in 2010. He attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, to pursue a mechanical engineering degree. Since then, he has become a naturalized American citizen, as his wife and child lives in California today.