VIJAYAWADA: The verdict of the Supreme Court directing single-screen theatres and multiplexes to play the National Anthem before the screening of films across the country has evoked mixed response from the denizens of Vijayawada.
While a majority of the senior citizens and salaried class welcomed the verdict, the youth felt that it is an unwanted development as cinemas are meant for entertainment and are ‘not the place to show respect towards the National Anthem. In all, Vijayawada city has 56 screens, five multiplexes and one miniplex at Pandit Nehru Bus Station. Guidelines will be issued to the district administrations to implement the verdict in the next 10 days.
“I am quite happy with the Supreme Court’s guidelines. It will inculcate patriotism among the citizens. It is very essential for the younger generation to be patriotic,” said Dr T Eswar.
“National Anthem in theatres is nothing new. It was there in the 1960s, but was discontinued in the later years due to multiple reasons. People should honour and respect the National Anthem at every point of their lives. But, having this as a rule in cinemas is a crucial move. People may not be so comfortable to sing the National Anthem in theatres. The government can put up small patriotic clips to inculcate love for the motherland,” opined VV Krishna Rao, a senior citizen.
“People come to the screens seeking entertainment and not to showcase their patriotism. We must not push people to prove their patriotism by singing the anthem. Also, we don’t want to insult the National Anthem by singing it at places like movie halls,” said Siddhartha Arts College student B Chaitanya Kiran.
Film Distributors Association secretary KVV Prasad told TNIE that a meeting was conducted in Film Chamber at Hyderabad over the issue immediately after the SC verdict.
“Instead of playing the National Anthem at the beginning, it should be played during the interval or at the end as most people would be busy searching for their seats in the beginning,” he said. “We are yet to receive the copies of the verdict. A meeting will be conducted in the next few days with all the film distributors and theatre owners in the district to implement the decision,” Krishna district joint collector G Chandrudu said.