PVR – INOX To Pay Hefty Fine Orders Bengaluru Court
Bengaluru, 19th February 2025: The consumer court has imposed a fine on PVR-INOX for showing advertising for 25 minutes before the screening of the film on the complaint of a Bengaluru-based-man who had alleged that he couldn’t attend his other programs and it’s difficult to calculate it with money.
A man who booked a ticket to the cinema to watch the film had to watch 25 minutes of advertisement, and then he filed a lawsuit against PVR-INOX. The person won this case, and PVR-INOX had to pay a hefty amount to the person.
The 30 year old complainant, Abhishek MR, attended the screening of Sam Bahadur on December 26, 2023, at a PVR cinema. Despite the movie’s scheduled time of 4:05 pm, It began only at 4:30, wasting his 25 minutes watching advertisements and disturbing his plans to go back to work post-movie. Frustrated by this, he filed a case against PVR, INOX, and BookMyShow.
The court, however, ruled that BookMyShow was not liable, as it’s a booking platform and not liable for controlling screening and schedules. PVR and INOX defended their actions, arguing that pre-film advertisements accommodate late arrivals and that cinemas are required to screen public service announcements (PSAs). While the court acknowledged this requirement, it pointed out that government guidelines gap PSAs at 10 minutes. It also noted that 95 percent of the advertisements shown before the screening of Sam Bahadur were commercial rather than government PSAs.
The consumer court noted the complainant’s complaint, treated the time as money, and directed PVI Cinemas and INOX to compensate for the loss. The court directed him to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation for wasting his time, Rs 5,000 for mental agony, and Rs 10,000 for filing a complaint and other relief. “No one has any right to benefit from another’s time and money,” the court said in its February 15 order.
It is exhausting and frustrating to spend 25-30 minutes idle in the theatre and watch what is being shown. For busy people who have a busy routine, it’s hard to watch unnecessary ads.” PVR Cinemas and Inox have contended that they are liable to display certain public service announcements to spread awareness under the law and accepted the order and compensated to the complainant.
