Rajinikanth’s ‘Jailer 2’ has landed in a controversy in Tamil Nadu after a film song was allegedly played in place of India’s National Anthem before a screening at a cinema in Karur. The incident reportedly took place at Ajantha Ellora Cinemas on Coimbatore Road, where the Indian National Flag appeared on the screen before the movie began.

Videos purportedly showing the incident have since surfaced on social media, drawing attention to what may have been an audio mix-up at the theatre.

According to Mid Day, the incident occurred during a screening of the Nelson Dilipkumar-directed action drama. The National Flag was reportedly displayed as part of the pre-show sequence, but instead of ‘Jana Gana Mana’, a commercial film song was allegedly played.

The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear. There has been no confirmed explanation for why the song was played, and the available reports do not establish whether it was an operational error or another issue. An official response from the theatre has also not been confirmed in the reports.

Nelson Dilipkumar reunites with Rajinikanth for ‘Jailer 2’

‘Jailer 2’ marks another collaboration between director Nelson Dilipkumar and Rajinikanth following their 2023 blockbuster ‘Jailer’. The sequel features an ensemble cast, including Suraj Venjaramoodu, SJ Suryah and Vidya Balan, among others.

The controversy comes as the film continues its theatrical run. On Friday, October 23, ‘Jailer 2’ registered a dip in its domestic box office collections on its ninth day in theatres.

According to Sacnilk, the film earned Rs 14.50 crore in India net collections on Friday from 10,484 shows. This represented a 15.5% decline compared with Thursday’s collection of Rs 17.15 crore.

Despite the day-on-day drop, the film’s worldwide gross reportedly reached Rs 628.05 crore, including earnings from domestic and overseas markets.

Tamil version leads domestic collections

Tamil-language screenings continued to contribute a significant share of the film’s earnings. Sacnilk reported that the Tamil version collected Rs 9.35 crore in India net revenue on Friday across 4,885 shows.

This accounted for approximately 64.5% of the film’s total domestic net collections for the day, underlining the Tamil market’s contribution to its theatrical performance.

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As ‘Jailer 2’ continues its box office run, the reported incident at the Karur theatre has brought additional attention to the film, with the circumstances behind the alleged playing of a song instead of the National Anthem yet to be clarified.