Bengaluru Resident Successfully Sues PVR-INOX for Excessive Advertisements, Claims Time Wasted
Man Wins Compensation After Suing Cinemas for Wasting Time
A 30-year-old man in Bengaluru recently won a legal battle against PVR Cinemas, INOX, and BookMyShow, receiving Rs 65,000 in compensatory damages. Abhishek MR filed a lawsuit against the companies for causing him “mental agony” by running lengthy commercials before the screening of a movie.
Incident Details
In his complaint, Abhishek MR stated that in 2023, he booked three tickets for the movie ‘Sam Bahadur’ for a 4.05 pm show. He expected the movie to end by 6.30 pm, allowing him to return to work. However, the movie did not start until 4.30 pm after advertisements and trailers, wasting nearly 30 minutes of his time.
As a result, Abhishek MR missed other scheduled appointments, leading to losses that he claimed were immeasurable in monetary terms. He argued that the cinemas engaged in unfair trade practices by misleading customers about show timings to profit from running advertisements.
Consumer Court Ruling
The consumer court recognized the value of time as equivalent to money and ordered PVR Cinemas and INOX to compensate Abhishek MR for the inconvenience caused. They were directed to pay Rs 50,000 for unfair trade practices, Rs 5,000 for mental agony, and Rs 10,000 for legal fees and other reliefs. Additionally, a penalty of Rs one lakh was imposed on both cinema chains.
However, BookMyShow was not held liable for any claims, as it is a ticket-booking platform with no control over advertising durations.
Court’s Verdict
In its ruling on February 15, the consumer court emphasized that individuals should not profit at the expense of others’ time and money. It highlighted the inconvenience of sitting idle in a theater for 25-30 minutes watching irrelevant content and acknowledged the challenges faced by busy individuals with tight schedules.
Response from PVR Cinemas and INOX
PVR Cinemas and INOX defended their actions by citing legal obligations to screen Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for public awareness. However, the court specified that PSAs should be limited to 10 minutes before the film’s start and during the interval.
As part of the ruling, PVR Cinemas and INOX were instructed to contribute Rs one lakh to the consumer welfare fund within 30 days.