Are you Pakistani terrorists?: Kannada actor insults moviegoers for disrespecting National Anthem

Bengaluru: A video of actor Arun Gowda and his friends trying to shame four people at a movie theatre in Bengaluru for allegedly not standing up during the national anthem has gone viral on the social media platform.

The incident occurred on October 23 at PVR Orion Mall during the screening of the Tamil movie Asuran.

In the video, being shared widely on social media, Arun Gowda and his friends can be heard saying, “Not able to spare 52 seconds for the country, but you have the audacity to sit here and watch a three-hour movie? Are you Pakistani terrorists?”

“Our soldiers are fighting for us in Kashmir and you guys are sitting here and don’t even stand for the national anthem. Get out of this place,” another voice can be heard saying. They also break into chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ in the middle.

It may be recalled that in May this year, a 29-year-old man from Bengaluru was arrested after he refused to stand up while the national anthem was playing.

In November 2016, the Supreme Court made it mandatory for all movie theatres to play the national anthem before screenings. This decision was criticised by a number of constitutional experts and was overturned by a three-judge bench headed by former Chief Justice Deepak Misra on January 5, 2018. It was voluntary for theatres to play the anthem, the court said, and if they did play then the audience could stand up to show respect.