The Bengaluru District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed PVR INOX to display the actual time of movie on tickets and not the time when the advertisements start playing in the hall. According to the order copy, Abhishek M.R., a consumer from Bengaluru, had filed a case on PVR INOX for the delayed screening of the film Sam Bahadur on December 26, 2023.
In his complaint, Abhishek said he had booked three tickets for a 4:05 pm show at PVR INOX, but the film was played at 4:30 pm after a series of advertisements. Upset by the inconvenience caused by the late start of the feature film presentation, Abhishek complained against PVR INOX and BookMyShow, the ticket portal.
The commission ruled that BookMyShow wasn’t responsible for the issue even as it blamed PVR INOX (merged as PVR) for subjecting viewers to long advertisements beyond the scheduled time of the film. President M. Sobha and members K. Anita Shivakumar and Suma Anil Kumar, who led the panel, asked PVR INOX to value the time of its customers.
The ruling said that film tickets must properly mention the correct start time of the movie. It also directed that advertisements must not go beyond the scheduled start time of the film.
The complainant was awarded ₹20,000 for the inconvenience and mental distress caused, along with ₹8,000 to cover litigation costs. The court also ordered the multiplex chain to pay ₹1 lakh in punitive damages and ensure that the actual start time of movies is clearly communicated to viewers.
PVR INOX defended its practice by citing government regulations that require the screening of public service announcements (PSAs) before movies. However, the court noted that these guidelines limit such screenings to a maximum of 10 minutes.
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The complainant had recorded the advertisements as evidence, prompting PVR INOX to argue that this violated anti-piracy laws. However, the court dismissed this claim, clarifying that only the advertisements, not the film itself, were recorded, and this was done to highlight an issue affecting many moviegoers.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – February 19, 2025 11:52 am IST
