Context: Earlier this year, the Andhra Pradesh government banned a 100-year-old play named ‘Chintamani Padya Natakam’.
Chintamani Padya Natakam

• It is a stage play penned by social reformer, writer and poet Kallakuri Narayana Rao about 100 years ago.
• In the play, the writer explains how people neglect their families by falling prey to certain social evils.
• It was aimed to create awareness on the Devadasi system and how the flesh trade was ruining many families at that particular period.
• Subbisetty, Chintamani, Bilvamangaludu, Bhavani Shankaram, and Srihari are some of the characters in the play.

Its performance

• The play is named after the main character, Chintamani, a woman born into a family involved in the flesh trade.
• The play focuses on how she attained salvation after repentance.
• Chintamani play is popular across the state. It has been performed at thousands of places.
• The play continues to engage the audience even today and has become a must stage play in villages during Dasara celebrations.
• The play has undergone many changes over the decades, and to make it more entertaining and funny, crude and vulgar language is used in many places, drawing the ire of the community.

Reason behind this decision

Began as a social sermon, this play has been increasingly going vulgar.

The play has undergone many changes over the decades, and to make it more entertaining and funny, crude and vulgar language is used in many places, drawing the ire of the community.

• Much of the play sees central character Subbi Shetty made fun of, especially for losing all his wealth to his vices.
• Subbi Shetty, who resembles a person of a transgender community, is used to portray the social group in a bad way.

• Obscene dialogues are added to the play in the name of creativity.

The state government explored the possibility of taking out Shetty’s character from the play instead of putting a blanket ban on it, but found him to be a central character.