Filmmaker Shonali Bose was slammed for not standing up when the national anthem was played at the theatre she went to watch Afwaah at. The Sky Is Pink director revealed she visited a theatre in Juhu in Mumbai where she chose to not join the audience in standing up for the anthem. While she revealed she was criciticised by many seated in the theatre, she stands by her decision to remain seated for she feels a theatre is inappropriate place to ‘shove nationalism.’
She first opened up about the incident on Instagram, sharing a video of the incident. She then spoke in detail about the action with Mid-Day, revealing that she was dubbed ‘disgusting’ and ‘unpatriotic’ for her act. She added that though she loves singing the national anthem, “I won’t do it in a theatre.”
“That’s my government forcefully saying that this is how nationalistic fervour can be instilled. 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,” she told the publication.
Shonali clarified that while she is defending her actions, she is not against the anthem, or the government. “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,’” she said.
“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,” Shonali concluded.
Shonali made her directorial debut in 2005 with Amu. After a long break, she returned to films with Chittagong (2012) as a writer and producer. She made her directorial comeback with Margarita with a Straw (2015) and directed Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar-led The Sky Is Pink (2019). She also directed a chapter of Modern Love: Mumbai (2022).
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