``A Hindu father showed me the blood on the dead body of his killed son. He said next time Gandhiji wants to break his fast, ask him not to take mosambi juice, but my son's....'', Godse continues, recalling an encounter with a Hindu refugee family. The audience, glued to the sets, applauds again.

The intensely provocative portrayal which glorifies Nathuram Vinayak Godse in the Marathi play Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy (I Am Nathuram Godse Speaking), which slipped right past the censors' scissors has been attracting droves of theatre enthusiasts to its screenings. Three of the five performances have sold out and the fifth, at the Shivaji Mandir this morning, attracted an unusually large audience for a weekday morning.The performance, a two-hour-long tiradeagainst the national policies and programmes of the Mahatma by the man who put an abrupt stop to his satyagraha movement, has been produced by Uday Dhurat's Mauli Production and directed by Vinay Apte.

Peppered with acerbic epithets against the ideology propounded by the Father of the Nation, the play is primarily a monologue by Godse played by Sharad Ponkshe. Scripted by Pradeep Dalvi and directed by Vinay Apte, the controversial historical character explains the circumstances that led him to kill Gandhi. Chatting with the audience, he also charts his ideological journey from his Hindu Mahasabha origins in Pune, his trial in New Delhi to his hanging in the Ambala prison.

The scenarios he describes are brought to life by a single screen in the background, a sprinkling of props and just 10 co-artistes. The assassin's tirade against the Mahatma, of course, take centrestage, with Godse questioning Gandhi's very concept of non-violence. The stage is used intelligently, recalling the actual assassination andalso depicting the historic meeting between Ramdas Gandhi and Godse. Despite a section of the media dubbing the play as "a Rightist attempt to boost Godse's image", Dalvi insists the script is balanced and has no political leanings.

"We are just presenting the thinking of a much misunderstood person. We are not taking sides, either. How could we possibly be unfair to an important national leader? Godse is often shown acknowledging Gandhiji's service to the nation. He knows his place vis a vis the national figure," he says.

Almost in the same breath though, Dalvi says he is a believer in Godse's ideology. "Gandhiji was very stubborn and even adamant, and his attitude resulted in much harm to the nation. And Godse thought it his duty to point out that national loss."

The writer vehemently denies that the central and state governments, had anything to do with the launching of the play. "We faced tremendous obstacles from the censor board. The play was released only three months ago, after which we startedrehearsals."

And no, it was not timed to cash in on the current saffron wave. "When we went through the rigors of the censor board, neither the central ministry not the state cultural affairs minister bailed us out. We have no such political connections," he protests.

But for the audience, the colour of the day was clearly tinged a deep saffron, with Godse's every third utterance evoking loud applause. While his one-liners were enthusiastically received, his soliloquies on akhand Hindustan and Gandhi wadh were cheered loudly.

The dramatisation though "balanced" introduces Gandhi (played by Prasad Phanase) just once, and that too fleetingly. Godse consequently leaps off the sets, with a "legitimate" ideological base. No wonder the man, whom others have called traitor drew applause when he says Gandhiji's assassination was a "national need".

No complaints, say Culture Police

Neither State Cultural Affairs Minister Pramod Navalkar nor Stage Performances Scrutiny Board ChairpersonShantaram Nadgaonkar, whose vigil against vulgarity drew loud hoots in the recent past, has seen the play. Asked by Express Newsline whether they approved the blatant glorification of the assassin of the Father of the Nation, this is what they had to day.

Pramod Navalkar: Since the Scrutiny Board, which functions under the Cultural Affairs Ministry which I head, has cleared the play I do not wish to comment. But as I see it, the board must have gone through the script carefully and must not have found anything wrong. However, if I receive any complaint, which is not the case so far, I will definitely look into the play. I have not yet seen the play.''

Shantaram Nandgaonkar: I have not yet seen the play. I will soon do so. Four board members saw the play and passed it to me for certification. I suppose they suggested some cuts and approved the rest. I will now look into the matter. But we will take action only if there is any public complaint.