When PVR-INOX Lost a Case Against a Bengaluru Man Who Sued the Multiplex Cinema Chain Over Lengthy Pre-Film Ads

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IMAGINE PAYING A HEFTY AMOUNT, including GST, to watch a movie in theatres, only for it to begin late because of unrelated commercials. Not trailers for other movies, but commercials. While many people in a populated country like India use this time to freshen up or purchase snacks to eat during the movie, one man from Bengaluru, Karnataka, refused to spend his time watching commercials at a theatre.

The case dates back to 2023, when a man did something unusual and sued multiplex cinema chain PVR Cinemas, INOX, along with BookMyShow. 

The complainant was a 30-year-old man from Bangalore, Karnataka, named Abhishek MR, who sued one of India’s biggest multiplex cinema chains for wasting his time with advertisements shown before the film. He not only sued PVR but also won the case, in what resembles a plot straight out of a movie scene. 

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As per reports, the commercials shown before the movie delayed the film, which eventually affected Abhishek, as he had prior commitments that he had to cancel. The story, which is more than three years old, has recently resurfaced on X, had gained widespread media coverage at that time and is trending once again. Abhishek MR’s legal battle against PVR-INOX has once again ignited a discourse about lengthy advertisements shown before movies in theatres. 

Bengaluru Man Sues PVR-INOX Over Half Hour of Ads

The story revolves around the film Sam Bahadur, starring Vicky Kaushal, which was released in theatres on December 1, 2023. As per reports, Abhishek MR had booked three tickets for the film’s 4:05 p.m. show, hoping to reach work on time. To his surprise, 25–30 minutes of advertisements before the movie caused all his plans to go down the drain.

A report by NDTV claimed that the film was supposed to conclude by 6:30 p.m. but was delayed due to the extensive commercials shown at the time the film was supposed to begin. What Abhishek did after this was unusual.

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He filed a lawsuit against PVR-INOX, claiming that his precious time had been wasted by the multiplex cinema chain. In his complaint, he claimed that he was unable to attend to another arrangement that had already been scheduled for the day. The complaint further stated that he had “faced losses that cannot be calculated in terms of money as compensation.”

Court Orders PVR-INOX to Pay Rs 65,000 in Compensation

The complainant also accused PVR-INOX of giving more importance to advertising revenue instead of prioritizing its customers. Months after the incident, a consumer court delivered a verdict in favour of Abhishek MR, ruling on his complaint in February 2025.

The consumer court directed PVR-INOX to provide compensation of Rs 50,000 for wasting the complainant’s time, in addition to paying him Rs 5,000 for mental agony and Rs 10,000 for other expenses incurred by the complainant. The consumer court exonerated BookMyShow in its order, stating that the platform was not responsible for the advertisements that were shown. 

In its order against PVR-INOX, the court stated, “time is considered as money.” However, PVR-INOX defended its case by stating that it was required to screen Public Service Announcements (PSA). The consumer court argued that the PSAs must not last for more than 10 minutes. Many users on the internet shared similar experiences after the case resurfaced recently and applauded Abhishek MR’s resilience. 

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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