A Malayalam play depicting the life and custodial torture of theatre actor Snehalata Reddy during the 1975-77 Emergency has triggered a controversy after a clip from the production was circulated on social media with claims that it showed a derogatory dance performance.
Misa was staged as part of the Democratic Youth Federation of India’s (DYFI) 16th state conference in Thrissur. The play was conceptualised and performed by Kozhikode-based Chilanka Floating Theatre.
The 1 hour 39 minute play focuses on political repression, exploitation of workers and the suppression of dissent during the Emergency. Its title refers to the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), the 1971 law that gave the government extensive powers of preventive detention and was repealed in 1978.
The disputed scene depicts the custodial torture endured by Reddy. Actor Chinnus Chilanka, who plays Reddy, appears in a saree blouse and shorts while symbolically portraying how Reddy was forced to walk naked and tortured in custody. The actor is later shown in a jail uniform.
The scene was recorded, edited with music, and circulated by social media accounts linked to the BJP, Congress and Sangh Parivar, with some posts describing it as an inappropriate performance. The circulation triggered obscene comments and cyber trolling.
BJP Kasaragod district president ML Ashwini was among those who shared the clip, questioning the culture and politics being promoted by youth organisations.
Chinnus said the controversy was an attempt to suppress the political message of the play. She said the scene was based on Reddy’s account in A Prison Diary, which documents the stripping and assault of women prisoners.
Reddy, a theatre and film actor and co-founder of the Madras Players, was arrested under MISA in 1976 and imprisoned in Bengaluru. She reportedly suffered severe torture in custody, which worsened her asthma and health. Released on medical parole, she died days later in early 1977.
DYFI state secretary VK Sanoj defended the play, saying critics had isolated one scene while ignoring its broader context. He described the social media response as an attempt at moral policing and said it diverted attention from the history of the Emergency.
DYFI has announced that Misa will be performed again at the state conference venue on August 22.