Kerala play with ‘Governor’ in title banned after BJP complaint

It depicts a dictatorial governor of a state who places a hat in the city and orders people to bow to it as a mark of respect towards him. The governor deploys guards to ensure compliance of his order, and those who fail to do so are punished.

In an order issued hours earlier, Fort Kochi sub-divisional magistrate Meera K told the organisers of the Carnival that the name of the play must be changed and there should be no mention of “Governor” in any of its dialogues. Nothing in the play should imitate or refer to anyone holding a constitutional post in the state or in the Union Government, the order added.

The complaint was filed by BJP Mattancherry mandal committee leader Shivakumar Kamath.

With police in large numbers present at the venue of the proposed show at Fort Kochi, NATAK (Network of Artistic Theatre Activists Kerala), the organisers of the Carnival, did not stage the play as scheduled.

However, calling the ban an “infringement on freedom of expression, NATAK state committee member Shabu Madhavan said the play had nothing to do with the state Governor (Arif Mohammad Khan).

“The sub divisional magistrate did not look into the content of the drama. It has nothing to do with the Governor. BJP might have misunderstood the title of the drama, leading to the complaint. The state committee of NATAK would meet on Saturday to decide on the next course of action. We have no plan to abandon the drama or its staging,’’ he said.