Kala Ghoda pulls out play after Hindu right wing groups protest

By Vishwas Waghmode

The organisers of the Kala Ghoda Art festival were forced to cancel the play Ali J, after Hindu right wing groups threatened the organisers and artists and the Maharashtra government failed to provide protection them.

The show, which was scheduled at 5.30 pm in Colaba today, was cancelled following a suggestion from the police authorities. The Hindu Janjagriti Samiti (HJS) has lodged a complaint with a local police station demanding that the show be canceled as it is "anti-Hindu and anti-national".

A file photo of the Kala Ghoda fesitval. Chandrashish Ray/Firstpost

"The play shows Hindus in poor light and glorifies Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It is basically anti-Hindu and anti-national and tries to spread hatred in the community," Shivaji Vatkar, Mumbai coordinator for HJS, told Firstpost.

Vatkar added that they will continue to oppose such plays. "Also, the organisers did not have the permission from censor board to run the show," claimed Vatkar.

The play, produced by theatre group Evam, has a Muslim boy as a protagonist who is in jail and has also references to the life of Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

The theatre group expressed dissatisfaction over the cancellation of show. "It is sad that we were not allowed to stage the show. The play is a work of art and is fiction. It talks about Gandhian thoughts," said Vasanth Subramaniam, executive producer of the play.

He added that the group had faced similar opposition from the right wing outfits in Banglore as well. "But we were able to stage the show as we got sufficient police protection. Now, we have put it on online so that everyone can see it," he added.

Recently, Shiv Sena activists protested against Pakistani musicians, the Meekal Hasan band, who were in the city to announce the first Indo-Pak music meet.

Similar incidents have also been reported in the past few years such as the protests by HJS against Kolkata-based painter Eleena Banik demanding to remove two paintings depicting Hindu goddesses in the nude in April 2013. Threats by MNS workers to disrupt Sur-Kshetra, a music show in August 2012 was also another incident.