Indian star forced out of Hindu play

An Indian village had to cancel a performance of a traditional Hindu play moments before it was due to start after far-right activists opposed the participation of a Muslim Bollywood star, reports said yesterday.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, best known outside of India for his role in "The Lunchbox", had been due to perform in a theatre production based on the "Ramayana" in his home village of Budhana in Uttar Pradesh state.

But organisers cancelled the event after activists from Shiv Sena said they were opposed to a Muslim actor taking part in the Hindu play.

"A few members of the Shiv Sena didn't want a Muslim man to play a character in Ram Leela," Damodar Prasad Sharma, president of the Ram Leela Committee, told the Indian Express newspaper.

"Then the police told us that we should not let Nawazuddin participate and, if at all we do, and there is a problem during the show, we will have to take responsibility."

The Press Trust of India said the performance had been cancelled while Siddiqui took to Twitter to express his disappointment. "My childhood dream could not come true, but will definitely be a part of Ramleela next year," he tweeted late on Thursday.

"Ramlila" -- meaning "Rama's play" -- re-enacts the life of Lord Ram over several nights, culminating in his defeat of a wicked king, a victory symbolising the triumph of good over evil in Hindu mythology.