The Supreme Court has ordered all cinema halls across India to play the national anthem before the screening of a film. They also made it obligatory for the audience to stand up “for the love of the motherland”.
But Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have banned screening of Hindi films in Manipur.
These militant outfits have openly announced that neither do they consider themselves Indian & nor will they allow any show of love for India.
Since 2002 the underground outfits have banned not just the screening of Bollywood films but also Hindi serials in Manipur. The state produces about 40 digital films annually and it is these Manipuri films that has kept the 48 cinema halls in Manipur thriving.
The cinema owners are stuck between the SC order and the militants’ diktat. The SC order may force them to play the National Anthem but after that they are not sure till when the cinema halls can operate in Manipur. The underground outfits most likely will force them to shut down if they don’t stop playing the National Anthem.
Video Inputs: Sunzu Bachaspatimayum
Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim
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