Wrong song at the cinema: India's flag went up, a film song played instead of the national anthem

Why it's worth a look

Playing the national anthem before a film is a long-standing convention in Indian cinemas. This time the wrong song played — and the audience filmed it all.

Full report

The incident took place at Ajantha Ellora Cinemas on Coimbatore Road in Karur, Tamil Nadu, where Rajinikanth's new film 'Jailer 2' was being screened.

As is customary, the Indian national flag was displayed on screen before the movie, followed by the national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana'. This time, however, the flag went up but a commercial film song played instead of the anthem.

Shocked moviegoers pulled out their phones and recorded the scene; the clips quickly went viral on social media. Viewers alleged disrespect to the national anthem and demanded an explanation of how the mix-up happened.

As of publication, the theatre management had not issued any statement. Whether it was a projectionist's wrong button or a system glitch remains unknown.