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A Malayalam play titled Misa, staged as part of the Democratic Youth Federation of India’s (DYFI) 16th state conference in Thrissur, has triggered a controversy after certain scenes were recorded and misrepresented on social media. DYFI is the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], and Misa was conceptualised and performed by Chilanka Floating Theatre, a Kozhikode-based theatre group.
The play tells the story of Snehalata Reddy, an artist who faced state torture during the Emergency in 1975, touching upon political oppression, exploitation of workers, and the suppression of dissent during that period. The title Misa is a take on the now repealed Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), which gave the government enormous powers to detain individuals.
The controversy began after social media profiles linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, and Sangh Parivar circulated the clip of a particular scene from the play, depicting the custodial torture Snehalata endured. In it, the actor is seen wearing a saree blouse and shorts, symbolically enacting how Snehalata was forced to walk naked and tortured by the police. At the end of the clip, the actor is also seen wearing a jail uniform.
The scene was recorded, edited with music and shared on social media, claiming it to be a derogatory dance performance, triggering a slew of obscene comments and cyber trolling in the comment boxes.
Among those who shared these clips are the BJP’s district-level chiefs. ML Ashwini, BJP Kasaragod district president, posted the video with a caption: “Is this how SFI, DYFI and their parent organisation seek to attract and engage the youth? A revealing reflection of the kind of culture and politics being promoted in the name of a youth organisation.”
Attempt to silence the political message
Chinnus Chilanka, the actor who portrayed Snehalata Reddy, told TNM that what has transpired is not merely a matter of morality or obscenity, but an attempt to silence the political message being expressed.
“Their problem is the politics in it. There is an actual voice behind the video they circulated. They would obviously have heard that before editing the video. That voice has clearly hurt and disturbed them. It has affected them politically, which is why they circulated it in that manner,” she added.
Chinnus also said that this particular scene is taken from Snehalata Reddy’s book titled A Prison Diary, in which she writes about what happened to her in jail. “She has specifically documented how she and other women prisoners were stripped naked and assaulted. That is what we depicted in Misa,” Chinnus explained.
She also called for the people who circulated the clip to come and watch the play in its totality.
Misa is an hour and 39 minutes, and the DYFI event is the ninth performance of the play. Earlier, Misa was performed at DYFI district conferences in Kollam, Kottayam, and Alappuzha. It has also been performed at Farmers’ Association conferences, among other events.
Who is Snehalata Reddy?
Snehalata Reddy was a theatre and film actor who became one of the known victims of state repression during the 1975–77 Emergency in the country. Bengaluru-based Snehalata Reddy was a staunch follower of Ram Manohar Lohia’s ideas, and she co-founded the famous theatre group Madras Players. She worked actively as an actor, director, and writer in theatre, and became a household name after she played Chandri in the 1970 Kannada classic Samskara.
In 1976, Snehalata was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and jailed in Bengaluru.
MISA was a 1971 Indian law which gave the government vast powers for preventive detention without trial. Enacted under Congress leader and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s leadership, it became infamous during the Emergency for suppressing political opponents. Later, in 1978, the law was repealed.
During her time in prison, Snehalata reportedly endured severe torture, which significantly affected her health. Snehalata, who had battled asthma since childhood, experienced a deterioration in her condition while in custody. She was eventually released on parole on medical grounds but died just a few days after her release in early 1977.
Other works related to Snehalata’s life include a documentary film titled Prison Diaries, created by Uma Chakravarthi, a feminist historian and filmmaker. While in jail, Snehalata Reddy kept a diary, which was published in 1977 by the Karnataka Human Rights Committee as part of a compilation called A Prison Diary.
‘Drama will be performed again’: DYFI
Following the controversy, DYFI announced that the play will be performed again at the DYFI state conference venue on Saturday, August 22, the closing day.
Defending the play and its theme, DYFI state secretary VK Sanoj said that critics of Misa deliberately isolate a particular scene while ignoring the larger context of the story. He said that the social media trolling is an attempt at moral policing, orchestrated to divert attention from the history of the Emergency.
“Misa, which depicts the life of Snehalata, sends out the message that the politics of power seeks to silence those who ask questions, and it does not end even today. Those who cut out only one scene from it and look at it through the lens of morality are trying to hide and forget the intense suffering experienced by people during the dark days of the Emergency,” Sanoj wrote on Facebook.