What Tagore Never Imagined

The national anthem’s commercial evolution as deciphered standing in the movie halls of Bombay.

Someone, somewhere, for what might have seemed like a great reason at a time, decided that people visiting a cinema hall in Bombay needed an infusion of patriotism. And thus was born the concept of playing our national anthem before the movie. It took some getting used to. Attendees stood up self-consciously. Some tried making a point by not standing up. Some talked on the phone. Some were beaten up for being patriotic sitting down (it is clearly not possible from this position).

But as they do, years passed, and because people had given up resistance long before, they stood up instinctively. No harm in a minute’s worth of standing. This captive audience was subject to various renditions of the anthem. Sometimes, depending on the theatre, the anthem was instrumental. At times, there was nothing but a song and a fluttering flag. There was even AR Rahman and one of the many, many renditions of our anthem that he released around a decade ago.

But then came the Marathi acting community, lined up side by side, singing the anthem proudly in their crisp pajamas. This was, of course, slightly unusual from what had come before, but it would do. Even then, we had no idea it was only a warm-up. The latest version of the anthem-in-theatre is brought to you by Sony Entertainment. Specifically, it is brought to you by the wonderful singers in this season’s Indian Idol.

So on Sunday night, before a crowd got down to watching Inception, they were encouraged to stand up and pay respect to what they realised was a marketing vehicle for a melodramatic TV singing competition. This is the national anthem as advertisement.

Cricket watchers will be struck by an acute sense of déjà vu. Sony Max, which broadcasts the Indian Premier League, recently produced what was possibly the most ad-stuffed cricketing event in memory. 

We believe that the term one applies to these Idols singing the anthem in a confined space is ‘product placement’ of Indian Idol. This is a fine space to be in. What it ensures is that people who do not stand up and pay attention to your ad will be given grief. It is genius. Congratulations.

About The Author

Rahul Bhatia