Row as Church takes offence at play ‘Kakkukali’

THRISSUR: ‘Kakkukali’, a play that revolves around the ordeals of a young woman from a poor fisher folk family of Alappuzha coastal area who joins a nunnery, has courted controversy with both the Church and liberal activists criticising it and theatre persons defending it. The play deals with various persecutions the woman from a downtrodden converted Christian community had faced in the nunnery, said its director Job Madathil.
Vicar general of the archdiocese Msgr Jose Vallooran has directed the priests of all parishes to organize protest meetings against the play after the holy mass on Sunday.A protest march is also planned to the Thrissur collectorate on Monday, he said.
Madathil said the play is based on a story authored by Francis Noronha and the Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference (KCBC) had given an award to it earlier. “So, it is for the Church to clarify their stand now,” he said, adding that the play was already staged in 15 different places and the protests started only after it was staged at Guruvayur municipality recently.
Theatre activist K V Ganesh of Rangachetana theatre collective said, “The church must clarify whether it’s are with the exploited downtrodden or with exploitative rich.”
However, film director K Gopinathan chose to differ. “Ideological ignorance and shabby style of presentation were the hallmarks of this play. Anyone who observes the contemporary Kerala political scenario would easily recognize that there is not much difference between the so-called Communists and the Church in the state, in terms of degeneration. Idealising one of them and posing it against the other, as is being done in the play, is a totally absurd proposition,” he said.
Echoing a similar view, writer and Gandhian K Aravindakshan said, “The church’s stance against freedom of expression had become manifested in their campaign against the play ‘Christhuvinte Aaram Thirumurivu’ and on several other occasions,” he said.