Why do we have national anthem before the beginning of a movie ??

[ashdoc]

Why do we have national anthem before the beginning of movies in theaters ??--when everyone has to stand up .

Is this done in other nations also ??

Or only in India ??

When we cant defend against terrorists , what is the point in such symbolic gestures ??

Dont we waste too much time in fighting over symbols anyway ??--like statues etc .

Cant we bother more about the real issues facing the nation ??

[PeaceSeeker]

Why do we have national anthem before the beginning of movies in theaters ??

Is this done in other nations also ??

Or only in India ??

When we cant defend against terrorists , what is the point in such symbolic gestures ??

Dont we waste too much time in fighting over symbols anyway ??--like statues etc .

Cant we bother more about the real issues facing the nation ??

i dont think it happens elsewhere. even in india, it started only a few years back. perhaps a decade back.

[Sane Less]

Should there be a national anthem before everything/anything you start? No. At least, not if people have natural pride for their nation. But in a country where pride is the last thing you will find in a person and ego is treated as a sin... maybe there is a need to drive the national anthem at every instant... lest we forget what or why our nation is:(

[echarcha]

My mother tells me that long ago, playing the national anthem before a movie was standard practice. Then it stopped. Maybe people were not paying respect by standing at attention.

In my 2010 trip to India, I learnt that this practice has now been reinstated.

Its a common practice for the national anthem to be sung at a football game here in the USA.

Maybe the Indian government wants to remind people once in a while that they should feel proud of India and respect the tricolour.

[JaiSpeaks]

think the national Anthem happens only in Bombay , nowhere else .

It was some brainchild of SS I think .

[Rakhi]

In Bangalore, Hyderabad or Chennai I don't remember the anthem being played, at least 2 years ago.

[swami]

AFAIK previously the national anthen was played after the movie got over then someone objected that people are in a hurry to leave the theater and no one pays respect to the anthem and it was stopped altogether but now it seems they started it before the movie starts.
Its been years that I visited a theater to watch a movie,dont remember when was the last time I saw one :scratch:
My mother tells me that long ago, playing the national anthem before a movie was standard practice. Then it stopped. Maybe people were not paying respect by standing at attention.

In my 2010 trip to India, I learnt that this practice has now been reinstated.

Its a common practice for the national anthem to be sung at a football game here in the USA.

Maybe the Indian government wants to remind people once in a while that they should feel proud of India and respect the tricolour.

[swami]

In Bangalore, Hyderabad or Chennai I don't remember the anthem being played, at least 2 years ago.
Rakhi something for you....here (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2004-01-24/bangalore/28333118_1_national-anthem-theatre-republic-day)

TNN, Jan 24, 2004, 09.07pm IST
BANGALORE: After Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra, a theatre in Bangalore has decided to play the national anthem before every one of its five daily shows as a mark of respect to the nation.
From this Republic Day, theatre Veeresh on Magadi road will play the 1.45 minute national anthem sung by Asha Bhonsle, music by A R Rehman, that is being screened in all theatres in Maharshtra. "The Karnataka government has not made it a rule for us to play the anthem, but we want to do it voluntarily. We hope other theatres will also follow," Veeresh owner K V Dhananjay told The Times of India.
The practise of playing the national anthem at theatres is also followed in Thailand.
Dhananjay said the theatre staff had been sensitised to ask the public to stand when the anthem is being played. "We think the people will voluntarily cooperate. They can also sing along, though that is not mandatory," he added.

[Rakhi]

Rakhi something for you....here (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2004-01-24/bangalore/28333118_1_national-anthem-theatre-republic-day)

I dont remember those theater names anymore but I have been to many movies in multiplex. I am fairly sure the anthem was not being played Swami.

[swami]

I dont remember those theater names anymore but I have been to many movies in multiplex. I am fairly sure the anthem was not being played Swami.
I personally feel its good that they dont play the national anthem before or after the show.I dont think we Indians have nationalism like the americans do.

Heard this long back dont know how true is this but somewhere in NY a man in the middle of the night felt a theif in his house he quickly
remembered his taperecorder having a national anthem and he pressed the play button to scare away the theif but the theif stood in attention
hearing the national anthem being played taking advantage of this the man tied him and called the police to have him arrested.In the court the
thief was pardoned for respecting the national anthem and the man who played the anthem was jailed.

[milanfanabhi]

think the national Anthem happens only in Bombay , nowhere else .

It was some brainchild of SS I think .
no this was introduced in around 2002-2003...and ss/bjp were in power ages ago....

[Parijataka]

In Bangalore, Hyderabad or Chennai I don't remember the anthem being played, at least 2 years ago.

National anthem is played in some theaters and multiplexes in Bengaluru and has been there for some time, the version by Bharat Bala productions showing Indian Army planting tiranga in the icy Himalayas, very beautifully done. Dont know about other cities. We rarely watch movies on big screen unless it is something that is better seen on theater.

Earlier in the 70's also national anthem used to be played in movie theaters, perhaps that was effect of '71 war etc. Think that might have been discontinued 80's onwards.

[Indian]

few years back i was discussing same thing here ..
http://www.echarcha.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17751
initially i was like ..what...& why national anthem when we have popcorn and the mood is to relax..but later...i actually liked the practice. It should be made mandatory across the nation :up:

[Rakhi]

National anthem is played in some theaters and multiplexes in Bengaluru and has been there for some time, the version by Bharat Bala productions showing Indian Army planting tiranga in the icy Himalayas, very beautifully done. Dont know about other cities. We rarely watch movies on big screen unless it is something that is better seen on theater.

Earlier in the 70's also national anthem used to be played in movie theaters, perhaps that was effect of '71 war etc. Think that might have been discontinued 80's onwards.

It was a very famous mall. I forget the name, there were many stores also there. I think it was Garuda. No sure any more. I used to go there on and off and there was not once the anthem was played.

[echarcha]

few years back i was discussing same thing here ..
http://www.echarcha.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17751
initially i was like ..what...& why national anthem when we have popcorn and the mood is to relax..but later...i actually liked the practice. It should be made mandatory across the nation :up:

Why is patriotism thrust upon the audience? Why should we sing the anthem? Imagine you are in the cinemaplex to watch Tees Mar Khan and will be in full mood for Sheila ki Jawani, and then you want to insult the nation by having a serious thing like national anthem before the pelvic thrusts on the screen to follow?

If Indians feel patriotic enough they will demand the anthem themselves, but this forceful singing is of no use. In the US, the people will always have this feeling 'America the greatest nation! God bless America! We are the best in the world' built into them, whatever their political leanings and economic status. In India, no one really cares because all said and done, our politicians - all parties included - are not terribly inspiring to anyone and dont give a sense that yes we are India, the next superpower. Instead we have to keep banging our own drum that we are the next 'emerging', 'shining' superpower in the making. Yeah, right! :rolleyes:

[Dead On Arrival]

It happens only in Maharashtra! Neither in Chennai nor in Delhi or kolkata!

MaHarashtra mein bhi there is dis AV wid only Marathi actors singing the anthem! So much for the "desh" bhakti!! :doh:

I don't think patriotism can be enforced! It comes from within.. Its a sad sight to find ppl fidgeting when d anthem is on! Clearly it doesn't mean much to a lot of ppl

Btw.. I rem reading somewhere a long time back that u can't sing d anthem under a roof! Like an enclosed space! True?

[ungalprasad]

Way back in 2005 when RGV's movie "D" relesed, I was in Mumbai for two days. We decided to go for it in a local theatre. I got the pleasent surprise when all of a sudden before the movie, they played national anthem and public happily stood and paid respect. I never knew it happens in cinema halls. But It felt so good and emotions emerged during that play.

After that, I never saw anthem being played in cinemas here in North. But last year here in Punjab, I witnessed twice; the anthem being played before the movie in a Mall. And felt great.

In todays' world specially in India, where we are so much into ourselves that we dont even care what is happening in neighbourhood... we get no chance to even think about our contribution to society, to the nation. We have become human being of white blood.

I think this type of small events serve as reminder to us that this society and this nation is built up from us only. There was a time when Desh Bhakti was a junoon for people like Bhagat Singh. We have lost that junoon somewhere in our blood. Whole system is fukked up now. Normally we go to movie with family. If by any chance our national anthem is presented to us in the cinema hall, I think this is the best thing to pay respect collectively to our nation no matter what the current situation is.

At least our childern will see us doing this and they will learn it too. There is nothing wrong. It is a good gesture. Just a small step, why to criticise it ?

[Origmos]

While the national anthem in theaters is a good thing by itself, it is rendered meaningless in the context of the current Indian sociological environment. Unfortunately for us, this ceremonial act is a mere symbolism to cloak and deny the rampart destruction of the same by our corrupt rulers and their willing collaborators.

[jeetiaf]

In democracy, even in a gang land democracy like ours, public is equally responsible :)

jeetIAF

[Mukesh]

The old man stood in attention. But instead of looking straight ahead, he kept stealing glances at the girl seated next to him. The stolen glances soon became stares and the stare turned into glare. Soon he broke his attention and called the authorities to either make the girl stand up or leave. He would, under no circumstances, see the national anthem of his country insulted. All the while he shouted and gesticulated, the national anthem played on the screen. The girl stood her ground, being seated.

The latest practice of playing the Indian national anthem before every movie screening was mandated in the state of Maharashtra on Republic Day 2003 (January 26) and was slowly adopted by movie theatres nationwide. It was expected to be more successful than its previous 1980’s avatar. The national anthem played with the closing credits then. Though the Indian moviegoers didn’t make a sport out of running out of the theatre like Ray Bradbury’s fictitious Irish Anthem Sprinters, they were not very enthusiastic about standing up after a sit-down meal of Bollywood multi-cuisine.

Interestingly, this patriotic mandate coincided with the frequent power cuts across Maharashtra, the Enron backed Dabhol Power Company controversy and the increasing dissatisfaction of the public with the ruling power. 

The fading out of similar practices across movie theatres worldwide, coincided with other major events. In the UK and New Zealand it died down in the 1960s. Playing ‘God Save the King’ before angst-ridden kitchen sink dramas increasingly made no sense. In the US, it faded out in the 1970s, lengthening of opening credits being one of the many reasons. It still continues at the movie screenings of US army bases though. There’s invariably someone shouting of “Play Ball!” and nervous tittering at the end of it. But no disciplinary measures are known to be followed.

However, the country where the ‘un-patriotic’ moviegoers are routinely subjected to abuse, violence and imprisonment is the monarchy of Thailand. The democracy of India, thankfully stops at shouting, lecturing and occasional mild shoving of clueless foreigners and ‘seditious’ desis.

And then there are lawsuits; against none other than the most (in)famous couple in Indian Politics: Laloo Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi.They somehow forgot to stand up during the national anthem during the Republic Day celebration, 2002. A petition was quickly filed by an opposition party leader. After three years, a lower court ruled that, being seated during a national anthem, however seemingly repugnant, is not a crime against the law. Because the Prevention of Insults to the National Honour Act of 1971 says, “Whoever intentionally prevents the singing of the Indian National Anthem or causes disturbances to any assembly engaged in such singing shall be punished with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both”. By simply sitting, one is not intentionally preventing the singing or the assembly from singing, the court says. It doesn’t say anything about causing moral outrage via indecent body posture, aka sitting.

The legality of sitting through the Indian national anthem in movie theatres might be in the grey, but when it comes to national anthem being played as the part of a movie, the Government of India wants the moviegoers to be firmly seated. “When the Anthem is played as a part of the film, it is not expected of the audience to stand as standing is bound to interrupt the exhibition of the film and would create disorder and confusion rather than add to the dignity of the Anthem.” A point entirely lost on the the moviegoers who routinely stand up to the national anthem which have frequently been part of blockbuster Bollywood movies made by popular directors like Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Karan Johar.

This knee-jerk patriotism gave rise to a hilarious scene when The Loins of Punjab Presents (2007) was being screened in Indian theatres. A laugh-out-loud socio-cultural commentary on the pseudo-patriotism and Bollywood-obsession of Indians, it’s about a New Jersey Desi Idol contest. The contest is finally won by an Indophile American by singing the Indian national anthem. The audience both onscreen and off-screen routinely stood to attention, a delicious double irony.

If this mandatory standing before the film is a minor annoyance for some (they come in knowingly late), an anachronism for a few (they grumble and slouch) and a pleasant reminder of school and nationality for the rest (who sing along lustily), it must mean something altogether different for Indian movie critics who have to show up at the movie theatres every Friday to face the music (pun intended).

Most of them unanimously agree that pre-movie patriotism is a particularly silly way of showing love for your country and comes in the same bracket as armchair nationalism and internet slacktivism, only done standing. Meenakshi Shedde (India Consultant to Film Festivals worldwide) calls it “Mehrauli farmhouse show-offy version of patriotism” after the crass nouveau riche north Indians, but ironically it was minted in Western India.

A standing ovation accompanied by a giant soda-popcorn combo, followed by the latest brainlessness (in 3D) completely trivialises the anthem itself, they say. But buying peace with a few minutes of standing, rather than arguing and spoiling the mood is a favoured and practical solution, though they believe it should be a purely personal choice, “like homosexuality”. That is why in a hypothetical situation when they are alone in the theatre, most of them most definitely will not stand up. “That would definitely be less criminal than playing the national anthem before soft-porn movies,” Mayank Shekhar (veteran critic, Hindustan Times) says.

Unlike sporting events when every spectator is first an Indian then an individual, in theatres people come not to be reminded what they can do for the country but what the movie can do for them.

Being the only democracy in the world with this public display of patriotism makes you think whether it is patriotism or are we just being Pavlovian, conditioned by our school days? Are Indians the most patriotic people around? Two World Values Survey, (1990-1992, 1995-1997) put India at No.3 and No.4 ‘Most Patriotic Country’ worldwide but the survey consisted of the average answers of high income Indian residents to a single question: “Are you proud to be an Indian?” The answers ranged from 1 (not proud) to 4 (very proud). But an extensive 2007 BBC survey, done in the wake of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s 2020 Vision for India, was surprised to find that 58% of Indians think that Indians themselves are the biggest obstacle in the nation’s progress, the most unpatriotic act of all.
As the TV channels open up, internet spreads out and the meanings of words change faster than Moore’s Law, perhaps the time has come to redefine this word which was coined in the early 16th century via a 6th-century word ‘patriota’ (fellow countrymen)?

But if we can’t call this patriotism, should we call this entertainment? That would surely be not out of place in a movie theatre? The myriad versions of Indian national anthem playing in movie theatres (a lot of them flouting the prescribed tempo and the 52 second rule with a lot of artistic flourish) might help to prove the point. There are government versions, lavish versions (helicopter shots of Indian soldiers on Siachen), minimal versions (animated national flag fluttering out of sync with the song), A.R. Rahman version (“with all the charming seriousness of a girl in a school play”), Indian Idol contestant versions (licensed Indian version of American Idol), latest political thriller version, instrumental versions and, the latest toast of the town, a sign language version performed by deaf and dumb school children created by Mudra Group, one of the leading marketing communication organisations of the country.

While this version brought joy to the hearts and tears to the eyes of many a viewer, it almost didn’t get made because the government officials thought it inappropriate of the deaf and dumb children to wave their hands and heads freely, while the decorum commands standing in strict attention without moving a muscle. Hopefully the children didn’t get to learn any of this.

Souce (http://www.spikemagazine.com/united-you-stand-national-anthem-in-indian-movie-theatres.php)

[milanfanabhi]

it is thousand times more better than smoking causes cancer promos..

[Dead On Arrival]

it is thousand times more better than smoking causes cancer promos..

Ooooh Bhaaaaai sahaaab! U bet! But guess even though those promos can't stopsmokers but atleast will stop the inflow!

[milanfanabhi]

Ooooh Bhaaaaai sahaaab! U bet! But guess even though those promos can't stopsmokers but atleast will stop the inflow!

exactly..thats my point..it is not going to make any difference.why waste screen time?