Tay Ping Hui kept his peace for an hour, before he got fed up, and sternly reminded a woman to shut up.

The actor, 48, who was watching Chinese animated movie Ne Zha in a cinema a couple of days ago, posted: "Behind me sat a lady in her 60s and a teen who was probably her son.

"The moment the movie began, she incessantly made untimely comments and talked as though she was in her living room, totally oblivious to the other paying movie-goers around her."

Tay, who is now based in China but is in town to film a drama called Mind's Eye, added that he "turned around and gave her a single 'shh' to remind her that there were other people trying to watch the movie".

After the film ended, the woman confronted him and said: "Just because you're an actor, you think you can be arrogant and rude?"

Tay told her that "I really don't think this has anything to do with me being an actor. I was telling you as a person".

Not satisfied with his response, she further berated him, saying: "Other people were talking, then why didn't you tell them to shut up? Why didn't you tell the child in front of me to keep quiet?"

Tay then decided not to prolong the argument, and walked away.

Reflecting on the incident, he noted: "Perhaps I was just brought up to have manners, because I have difficulty trying to understand her logic.

"Is she upset about being called out for behaving badly in a cinema? Or is she upset about being called out for behaving badly in a cinema, and a child wasn't?

"Because as an adult, she should know better?"

Tay's post has drawn sympathy and support from netizens, with one person marvelling over the fact that he took so long - an hour - to react before he lost his patience.

"I would have shushed her down within 10 minutes into the movie," the person wrote.