A decision on when to stage the play Governorum Thoppiyum will be taken after discussions in the district committee of the Network of Artistic Theatre Activists Kerala (NATAK), according to its office-bearers.
The play, which was to be staged at the Pallath Raman Cultural Centre in Fort Kochi as part of the Cochin Carnival on December 29, was cancelled after Sub Collector K. Meera asked the theatre group members to remove the name ‘Governor’ from the title.
She gave the direction after receiving a complaint from a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Mattancherry mandalam committee, alleging that the play was aimed at portraying Governor Arif Mohammed Khan in bad light in view of his ongoing tiff with the Left front government.
“The authorities had suggested changing the name of the play to ‘Adhikariyum Thoppiyum’ stating that there should be no derogatory references against the Governor in the work. As the staging of the play was cancelled, a decision on when to stage it and other related aspects will be taken on the basis of the discussions to be held in the district committee of the network,” said P. A Bose, president of the Kochi zonal committee of NATAK.
He said that the production was inspired by a play penned by Friedrich Schiller, German playwright. “It has nothing to do with the Kerala’s Governor or any other Governor in the country and the misconceptions emerged in view of the current political situation,” he said.
