Just as I got attuned to the surroundings, some mushy scenes came on. The movie was Dil to Pagal Hai. Elders giggled and youngsters passed comments. In Kashmir I would have either pressed the fast-forward button on the remote or left the room if an elder was present. That different age groups were watching this together, left me dumbstruck. I was less interested in the movie now, more in the crowd’s behaviour. This was a completely new world to me.

Every time a song played, the decibel level would reach sky-high. In the interval, I decided to leave because the sound had given me a headache. But I was not allowed to leave the hall by the guard. It seemed no different from a military crackdown! I pledged not to watch a film in a hall again. I felt that I lacked both etiquette and tolerance for the movies!