Moviegoers in Bhubaneswar welcome SC order on national anthem

BHUBANESWAR: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that national anthem must be played in all cinema halls in India before a film is screened and everyone present in the halls must stand to pay respect to it. TOI has conducted a reality check in city to know how theatres are playing it and how moviegoers are responding to the verdict.
The city has seven cinema halls and a multiplex.Most of them are playing the national anthem before screening the film. During discussion, the moviegoers hailed the court decision.
We first entered INOX, at Saheed Nagar, to know how they play the anthem before screening the film. After some advertisement commercials, the giant screen came up with a notice ‘National Anthem’ on its screen. Attendants closed the doors of the hall. The whole cinema lovers stood up silently. Anthem was played with the display of flowing tricolour flag on the screen. After the anthem is over, lights were switched off to start the movie.
Later, we went to Maharaja Hall at Achrya Vihar and Shriya Swati cine complex at Kharvel Nagar. We experienced the same thing in these film halls too. Moviegoers, mostly youths, even sing the anthem with low voice in order to pay respect to it. “It’s a good move. If I can wait for 10 or 15 minutes in the queue to buy film ticket, why can’t I stand one minute to pay respect to my national anthem? I’m happy with this,” said Swarup Barpanda, an IT professional.
Another youth, a college student, Sucharita Mohanty said they were singing the anthem daily during prayer time in the schools. “Now, we can get a chance to listen the anthem at the cinema halls. It’s a wonderful thing. It will create patriotism among us. I can stand for the anthem,” she added.
While a student of a city-based management college, Kusha Hansdah, said people come to the cinema halls for entertainment and fun. “If somebody will not obey the rule and sit or giggle during the playing of anthem, it will be taken as disrespect to the anthem. What steps can be taken to stop it? It’s a good move, but awareness is needed,” he added.
Ravi Talkies manager Ashok Kumar Mohapatra said some people don’t know the rule that they need to stand up while the hall plays anthem. “After watching others, they stand up. But proper awareness is needed for this,” he added.
Maharaja Hall manager Lingaraj Panda is positive about the people. “I have seen people silently stand up when we play the anthem. I felt so happy when a person alerted a man (busy in eating Lays) inside the hall to stand up for the purpose. Gradually it will become a practice for the movie-goers,” he added.
Sriya Swati cine complex manager BK Das said his cinema halls have been playing the anthem during last one year. “We are really happy after the Supreme Court made it mandatory of playing it in cinema halls,” he added.
We found that only one cinema hall, Keshari Talkies, was not playing the anthem. Manager of the hall, Rabi Mohanty, said they have sent an email to their distributor to give them the right version of the anthem to be played before screening of the film. “Within one or two days, we will get the copy of the anthem,” he added.