National anthem to be played at BIFFes from February 29

The Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy has decided to play the national anthem at the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) from Saturday.

The anthem was played before the screening of movies at BIFFes since 2017. The practice was continued even after the Supreme Court ruled that it was not mandatory. This year though, the national anthem has been noticeably missing since the inauguration.

Taking note of the situation, festival chairperson Suneel Puranik held a meeting with officials on Friday and decided to play the anthem before the film screenings at all the venues.

“The omission was noted on Friday evening and the same has been rectified now. We will play the national anthem all through the festival before the screening of every movie in all the venues from Saturday,” Puranik said.