On April 25, 1959, the Madras Government issued an order banning popular actor M.R. Radha’s Tamil play Thooku Medai. It was bannedon the ground that it deliberately intended to outrage the religious feelings of a class of citizens of India and also on the ground that it is indecent, scurrilous and obscene.

Subsequently, Radha submitted the script of another drama Kathal Bali to the Madras Commissioner of Police and obtained a licence to perform the play. He then staged the play at the Theagaraja College Open Air Theatre in Washermenpet on July 19, 1959.