An Indian lawyer has won damages against the country’s largest movie theater chain after complaining that excessive commercials before a film screening wasted his time and caused him professional inconvenience.
Abhishek M R, a 31-year-old lawyer from Bangalore, took legal action against PVR INOX after he was forced to miss a work call due to the delayed ending of a film.
The case, filed before Bangalore’s District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, centred on a 25-minute delay caused by commercials before the December 26, 2023, screening of the war drama Sam Bahadur.
According to court documents, Abhishek purchased three tickets for a screening scheduled to begin at 4:05 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m. at a PVR multiplex in Bangalore.
However, the film finished closer to 7 p.m. due to what he described as “trailers, advertisements and other fillers,” leading him to miss his scheduled work call.
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The court heard that Abhishek counted two public service announcements and 17 commercials before the film began. Arguing that the delay amounted to an “unfair trade practice,” he sought 50,000 rupees ($574) in damages, an additional 5,000 rupees ($57) for “mental agony,” and 10,000 rupees ($115) to cover legal costs.
The commission ruled in Abhishek’s favour, awarding him 20,000 rupees ($230) in damages and 8,000 rupees ($92) for legal expenses. PVR INOX was also ordered to pay 100,000 rupees ($1,148) to the Consumer Welfare Fund.
In its ruling, the commission stated, “In the new era, time is considered as money, each one’s time is very precious,” adding that 25 to 30 minutes of commercials was “a considerable amount of time to sit idle in the theatre and watch unnecessary ads.”
PVR INOX, which operates more than 900 screens across India and Sri Lanka, defended itself by arguing that it was legally required to show 10 minutes of public service announcements. However, the commission found that most of the pre-film content consisted of advertisements.
Reflecting on the case, Abhishek said, “Every other business in India has started to think about time being of the essence and how to not waste their customers’ time.” He added that the widespread media attention his case has received made his efforts “definitely worth it.”
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