Mahmood Farooqui co-directed a film on farmers' suicide
Police in the Indian capital Delhi say they have arrested filmmaker Mahmood Farooqui after an American woman accused him of rape.
Farooqui, best known for co-directing the 2010 film, Peepli Live, was held on Sunday after the alleged victim lodged a complaint with the police.
His wife, filmmaker Anusha Rizvi, has denied the charges against her husband.
Increasing numbers of rape cases are being reported and highlighted in India, prompting widespread outrage.
Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told the AFP news agency that the woman, a US citizen aged 30, was visiting India at the time of the alleged attack, which she says took place at Mr Farooqui's home in the capital.
"Based on her complaint, the accused has been arrested and sent to judicial custody," he said.
Ms Rizvi, who co-directed Peepli Live, a satirical film about farmer suicides and the media's response, described the complaint against her husband as "manipulated and false".
"We are determined to fight this till the reality is presented before the people," she said in a statement.
The alleged victim claims that the attack occurred in March, shortly after which she returned to the US. She had only reported the incident on Friday, reports said.
Rape laws have been toughened in India as a response to the increasing outrage over the crime, but correspondents say this has failed to act as a deterrent.
