Children being taken for adult movies -Lessons in parenting and how cinema halls must adhere to rules

Some time back we went for an evening show of a particularly gruesome adult Hindi movie in Muscat  There were not too many people in the hall, which was not surprising, considering that many people are away for the summer. But what I found shocking was what happened a few minutes later.

A family walked in and settled down fairly close to where we were seated. The movie had already started and while I was focused on what was happening on screen, my attention was soon drawn to the sound of little ones' voices as they giggled and talked.

Looking around, I was aghast to see that three kids who were probably not more than ten years of age had been brought into the hall by their parents, who were comfortably seated with their drinks and popcorn. And all the while that the movie ran, they watched it comfortably, irrespective of what impact scenes of gruesome violence, killing and sex can have on those little minds.

As if to prove my point, one of the little girls started crying when a murder was being committed on screen, and it was only when the crying turned into terrified sobs that the mother took the girl outside, only to return a few minutes later!

I firmly believe that parents like this need to be educated about the grave damage this sort of movie viewing can have on impressionable young minds. But even more than that, I believe that cinema halls here must have the will and the wherewithal to firmly exercise their right to stop children from watching movies that have been given adult certification. 

So what if a few tickets don’t sell?