Movie was scheduled for 10.35pm, started at 10.52pm after 22 mins of ads: Hyderabad advocate takes PVR to consumer court, wins Rs 75,000 | Hyderabad News
HYDERABAD: A late-night movie outing ended in a consumer court battle for a Hyderabad advocate after he alleged that excessive advertisements delayed the start of a film and pushed his return home back by nearly an hour.The man had booked two tickets for Kubera, starring Dhanush and Nagarjuna, for a 10.35pm show on June 20, 2025. He and his friend reached the theatre and took their seats by around 10.30pm, expecting the film to begin shortly.Instead, the theatre continued playing commercial advertisements and movie trailers. According to his complaint, the feature film did not begin until around 10.52pm, resulting in a delay of about 22 minutes.The delay had a knock-on effect on his journey home. He said he eventually reached home around 3am instead of the expected 2am, disrupting his personal commitments and rest.
Why he approached consumer court
The advocate argued that the theatre’s decision to run commercial advertisements for an extended period amounted to a deficiency in service and an unfair trade practice.He also relied on Ministry of Information and Broadcasting guidelines concerning public service awareness films, which limit such films to up to two minutes.He sought compensation for the inconvenience and harassment, besides litigation costs.
What PVR/theatre company argued
The theatre company defended the practice, arguing that screening advertisements, commercials, trailers and public service awareness films was part of its right to carry on business.It said the public service content shown before the movie promoted issues such as education, agriculture, women’s welfare and cleanliness campaigns, and argued that the screenings were intended to reach audiences when they were seated inside the theatre.
What the consumer commission said
The Hyderabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission did not accept the defence.It held that the theatre had violated the applicable guidelines by allowing commercial advertisements to run beyond the permitted framework and found the practice amounted to an unfair/restrictive trade practice.The commission ordered the theatre company to:
- Pay Rs 20,000 to the moviegoer as compensation
- Pay Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs
- Deposit Rs 50,000 with the District Consumer Welfare Fund as punitive damages
- Stop the practice and ensure it is not repeated
The total financial liability under the order was therefore Rs 75,000, although Rs 50,000 was directed to the consumer welfare fund rather than to the complainant.
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