Man sues PVR & Inox over ads before movie—wins big compensation

The complainant, Abhishek M.R., sued the multiplex chains after losing 25 minutes of his time due to the lengthy ads played before Sam Bahadur, starring Vicky Kaushal, in 2023. He argued that the delays disrupted his plans to return to work on time.

Hyderabad: A Bengaluru consumer court has ruled against PVR Cinemas and Inox for playing excessive advertisements before a movie, ordering them to compensate a customer for the inconvenience caused.

The complainant, Abhishek M.R., sued the multiplex chains after losing 25 minutes of his time due to the lengthy ads played before Sam Bahadur, starring Vicky Kaushal, in 2023. He argued that the delays disrupted his plans to return to work on time.

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The court ruled that PVR Cinemas and Inox engaged in unfair business practices and ordered them to pay Abhishek Rs 20,000 as compensation for the inconvenience and mental distress, along with Rs 8,000 to cover legal costs. Additionally, the court fined the multiplex chains Rs 1 lakh, which must be deposited into the consumer welfare fund within 30 days.

However, the court absolved BookMyShow, stating that the ticketing platform had no control over a film’s schedule.

In their defense, PVR Cinemas and Inox claimed they were legally bound to show public service announcements (PSAs) for public awareness. While the court acknowledged this, it pointed out that government guidelines limit PSAs to a maximum of 10 minutes before the scheduled showtime.