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Navalkar bans Marathi play on Thackeray

The licence granted by the stage performances scrutiny board for the staging of Pradeep Dalvi's Pasaydan, a play based on the life of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, has been revoked by Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Pramod Navalkar at Thackeray's behest.

Navalkar, when contacted, said Thackeray telephoned him yesterday and wanted to know how the scrutiny board could grant a licence for staging the play without his (Thackeray's) permission. The board had earlier passed the script as the playwright had submitted that Thackeray had approved it, but Navalkar said Thackeray told him that he had neither read the script nor approved it.

Since the play is based on the life of a living person, it will need a written permission from him. Therefore, the producer has been asked to get the permission before staging the first show.

Dalvi's earlier play, Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy, had created a controversy and invited the wrath of people from all sections, for his glorification of the Mahatma's assassin, Nathuram Godse.

UNI

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