Shonali Bose: It’s not the place to shove nationalism down our throats

Shonali Bose

When director Shonali Bose went to watch Afwaah at PVR Cinemas in Juhu earlier this week, little did she expect a fracas for not standing up when the national anthem was played before the movie. The filmmaker says she was called "disgusting" and "unpatriotic" by a patron in the theatre. Two days ago, she posted a video on social media, putting forth her response to the episode by quoting Rabindranath Tagore's famous lines: "Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever widening thought and action, into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake."

Shonali Bose

When we reach out to Bose, the filmmaker emphasises that she loves singing the anthem on days of national importance. "But I won't do it in a theatre. That's my government forcefully saying that this is how nationalistic fervour can be instilled," she says, before going on to narrate her ordeal. "I went to watch the film with my friends. All of them stood up for the anthem, I didn't. A man behind me shouted that I am disgusting and unpatriotic. The woman next to him joined in. I turned around, and asked them to shut up. The lady was so uncouth that I could feel her legs on my chair. Though I was sure of what I was doing, my stomach had tightened. No one wants a panga."

In 2016, the Supreme Court made the playing of the national anthem in cinema halls mandatory, stating that it instilled "committed patriotism and nationalism". It ordered that people in the theatre must stand up to show respect for it. However, in January 2018, a three-judge panel formed by the government recommended the Supreme Court to reverse its order. The apex court then made it optional to play the anthem in theatres. However, as part of the ruling, it also said that moviegoers will have to stand as a mark of respect in case the anthem is played. The court also clarified that the exception granted to differently-abled people from standing up during the anthem would remain in force on all occasions.

Bose argues that one does not need to wear his patriotism on his sleeve. "I am not protesting the anthem, or the government. I feel a movie theatre is not the appropriate place to shove nationalism down our throats. That is what I am protesting. It is disrespectful that people have popcorn in their mouths when they get up to show ‘respect'." The director adds that patriotism is working together towards building a country where diverse views co-exist and all are treated respectfully. "Patriotism is being able to speak your mind and having a conscience. It is about questioning the government at every step. I remember during the Emergency period, the government would play black-and-white propaganda films in theatres. This feels similar."

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