A group of five people were harassed and intimidated to force them leave a cinema hall after fellow moviegoers took exception to them not standing while the Indian national anthem was playing. The incident came to light the next day when a video was posted on social media. The little over two minute video shows a crowd encircling and harassing the family for not standing up for the national anthem. One man can be seen calling the people “a*******” and threatening to slap them.
The group comprising of a man, three women and a child, was at PVR Cinemas at Phoenix Market City, Mumbai, to watch a late night show of the film 'Tamasha'. The Maharashtra government has made it mandatory to play the national anthem before every film in cinema halls, since 2003. After the ruckus, the group is seen leaving the hall as others applaud. While PVR confirmed the incident, they said they could not confirm the identity of the people involved. They also cleared that the people were not asked to leave but chose to exit on their own.
In an official statement, PVR Cinemas said, “PVR Cinemas is fully committed to the policy of equal respect for everyone. According to an order of the Maharashtra government, it is mandatory for all cinemas to play the national anthem before every film. Being a law abiding company…PVR Cinemas follows the practice of playing the national anthem prior to every show. On November 29, 2015, there was an altercation between guests at one of our cinemas in Mumbai. Our staff intervened keeping in mind the safety of guests.”
