Sanatan Prabhat > Post Type > News > National News > Remove Names of Saints and Objectionable Parts from the Controversial Play ‘Eeththala’!

Remove Names of Saints and Objectionable Parts from the Controversial Play ‘Eeththala’!

  • Theatre Performance Scrutiny Board issues directions to the producer of the play

  • Instructions were also issued to change the title of the play and resubmit the revised script.

  • Major success for the struggle led by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and the Warkari community!

Scenes from the controversial play ‘Eeththala’

Mumbai/Ratnagiri – The struggle launched by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and the Warkari community against the play “Eeththala”, which gravely insults the Warkari tradition, the saint tradition and devotion to Lord Vitthal, as well as portrays Vitthal devotees as violent, has met with success. On 8 June 2026, the Maharashtra Government’s Theatre Performance Scrutiny Board issued an official letter directing the play’s producer to ‘Immediately remove all objectionable content, including references to Lord Vitthal’s idol and the names of saints, in order to prevent any disrespect towards the Warkari tradition.”

1. The play “Eeththala”, produced by the Veershaiva Samaj (Lanja) and written and directed by Amol Redij, was staged during the 64th ‘State Amateur Marathi Drama Competition’ held in Ratnagiri. Characters in the play were given names associated with revered saints, such as ‘Tuka’, ‘Jana’, and ‘Nama’, and were depicted committing murder, including the killing of a child, thereby portraying Warkaris as criminals.

2. Following objections raised by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and members of the Warkari community, the Secretary of the Theatre Performance Scrutiny Board, Shri S. P. Khamkar, issued directions to the producers stating that – the names of saints assigned to the characters in the play must be changed. The title of the play must be changed. The principal family in the play should not be portrayed as Warkaris, but rather as a religious, simple, service-oriented family. They should not be shown committing murder, so as not to offend the sentiments of any particular religious tradition. Showing an actual idol of Lord Vitthal on the stage and the consequent controversial scenes, should be removed. The provocative statement, ‘Has Vitthal written anywhere that one should not kill anyone?’, must be deleted from the script. A revised script should be submitted for approval.

3. After a delegation from the Committee met Uday Samant, Maharashtra’s Minister for Industries and Marathi Language, as well as Guardian Minister of Ratnagiri, in Mumbai, he reportedly took immediate cognisance of the matter and reprimanded the producers.

The Warkari community and the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti expressed their gratitude to the Minister for his intervention and to the Board for taking serious note of the matter and issuing these directions.

How was such a play approved by the Theatre Performance Scrutiny Board in the first place? Shri Sunil Ghanwat

Shri Sunil Ghanwat

Shri Sunil Ghanwat, State Organiser of the Committee in Maharashtra, said, “This is not merely opposition to a single play; it is a significant victory for the awakened self-respect of the entire Warkari community and Hindus at large. The Board’s directions have completely put an end to the outrageous act of insulting our revered deities, Vitthal Mauli, and the venerated saints in the name of freedom of expression; However, our question remains: How did the Theatre Performance Scrutiny Board approve such a play in the first place? In future, the Board should not grant permission to plays that attack the entities central o Hindu faith and it should frame a set of guidelines. Tendencies that hurt or play with the religious sentiments of Hindus will continue to be firmly questioned in the future as well.

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