A seat bedecked with flowers and a picture of Lord Hanuman, another wrapped in saffron with a garland framing a photograph of the god and the words "Jai Shri Ram" in Hindi. That is how it was in many theatres across the country as crowds streamed in to watch 'Adipurush', a retelling of the Ramayana.
Some were seen offering prayers, others pausing for a moment and there were, of course, those clicking mandatory selfies of the unusual sight before they settled down to watch the film. There were also incense sticks and coconuts seen in videos from some cinema halls.
The multilingual 3-D spectacle, which released on Friday amid much fanfare, is directed by Om Raut and stars Prabhas as Raghav, Kriti Sanon as Janaki and Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh.
A video showed a fan dressed as Hanuman greeting movie-goers outside a theatre. Another purportedly showed a man in Hyderabad being beaten up for sitting on the seat reserved for the Hindu god.
At a promotional event in Tirupati ahead of the film's release, director Raut requested the producers T Series to reserve one seat in every screening of 'Adipurush' as a mark of respect for Lord Hanuman.
"Everywhere in the world, wherever there is an Adipurush show, I request the producer and distributor to keep one seat for Hanuman ji; he will come to see Ramayan," Raut said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Kriti Sanon's Birthday Post For Rumoured Boyfriend Kabir Bahia: "May Your Innocent Smile Always Stay Alive" Kriti Sanon's "Pre-Monday" Workout Is Our New Motivation "Prabhas Is Six-Foot Gold," Allu Arjun Reveals A Heartwarming Story Amazon Employee Greets Friend At Wedding, Dies Of Cardiac Arrest TIME Magazine Shares Elon Musk's To-Do List, He Responds "Speculative, Inaccurate": Canada Factchecks Own Media Over India Charges "Speculative, Inaccurate": Canada Factchecks Own Media Over India Charges Want To Read Voice Notes? WhatsApp Brings To You Voice Message Transcripts In Bihar, Teacher And Principal Walk Into School Drunk, Arrested Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.