We will go ahead with the show, says director Vinay Varma

Hyderabad: The play Agnes of God will be staged at different venues after Birla Auditorium authorities cancelled the shows following allegations of nudity by the Catholic Secular Forum.

Play’s director Vinay Varma said, “We are going ahead with it. Chairman of the Catholic Secular Forum, Mumbai-based Joseph Dias, had threatened the Birla Auditorium authorities with legal action, thus they cancelled our shows on October 9 and 10. The play will be staged at a different venue on the same dates.”

He added, “Mr Dias had displayed our poster on a national channel during a debate on October 4, not knowing that it was being staged in Hyderabad and not in Mumbai. When he called me in the afternoon, he was very cordial, he never accused or threatened me. In fact, he asked me whether I was aware that the Birla authorities had cancelled the shows and I replied that we were still going ahead.”

“In return, I asked him what was objectionable in the play? There is nothing in the play or the book that should be objectionable to Christians. It’s about a convent where in a young nun delivers a dead child. The new born’s cord is wrapped around its neck and the convent authorities feel that it was an act of God. It’s a conflict between science and faith…can one compliment the other? How can Mr Dias say that we’re depicting a nude nun? We’re not depicting any nudity or anything obscene in the play.”

The director added, “In Hyderabad, we have a cast of three women, in fact we have given it an Indian touch with Bengali songs, we are also showing the nuns as Bengalis. We bought the rights from Samuel French for Rs 12,000.”

Catholics hit out at the play

Chairman of Catholic Secular Forum, Mumbai, Joseph Dias said that the play, Agnes of God, mocked the Latin phrase Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).

He said what was shocking was the obscene publicity material on the Internet and the play’s online promotion, which says:
“Mother Superior: There’s no infallible proof for virginity... only an absence of proof against it...
Dr Fernandes: I was pregnant once, but I didn’t exactly see myself as mother material... but my boyfriend thought I was...’ Agnes: Bad babies come from when a fallen angel (devil) squeezes in down’”

Mr Dias said, “In Hyderabad, we want the Chief Minister to intervene and the police to file an FIR for vulgarity, for showing a nude nun in the promotional material.”

When asked why should the play be stopped, he said, “The very words ‘Agnes of God’ is ‘Lamb of God’, used to refer to Jesus Christ, who was born without human intervention. In this play, a nun is displayed giving birth and the child is dead as it gets strangulated by the cord. This is objectifying and an insult to the convent institution and damages the image of the nun. Why are we taken as soft targets?”

“The play is used to generate money… Though the organisers in Hyderabad say that they have no such scene, however, the promotion pictures shows the nude nun… A cross is visible in the promotional picture, one cannot use religious object to sell tickets. This apart, there are plans to take this play across the country and all over the Net. If this is the affect of allowing the play in Hyderabad, we appeal to the Chief Minister to intervene.”

“We have written to the police commissioner as well and are waiting for a reply…we might announce an agitation, every one will come from Mumbai and the church will take it up as well. This was also discussed in the Christ Bishop Conference of India.”