In a rare legal victory for moviegoers, a Bengaluru man has taken on the might of multiplex giants PVR-INOX and won. Abhishek MR, a resident of the city, sued the cinema chain after enduring a frustrating 25-minute delay before the actual movie began.

His case was simple: time is money, and excessive ads rob customers of both.

The incident occurred when Abhishek booked a 4:05 PM show of Sam Bahadur, expecting to leave by 6:30 PM to attend an important engagement.

However, the movie didn’t start until 4:30 PM, following an onslaught of advertisements. His schedule was thrown into chaos, prompting him to file a consumer complaint against PVR-INOX and BookMyShow, demanding accountability.

The cinema chain defended its practice, arguing that ads allow latecomers to settle in. However, the court dismissed this reasoning, ruling that forcing punctual viewers to sit through excessive advertisements was unfair.

The verdict ordered PVR-INOX to compensate Abhishek ₹65,000 for his mental distress and legal costs, along with a ₹1 lakh penalty payable to the Consumer Welfare Fund.

This case has sparked a nationwide debate on transparency in show timings. With customers growing increasingly frustrated, could this be the beginning of a larger reckoning for multiplex chains? The verdict is clear: Bollywood blockbusters may have plot twists, but moviegoers deserve a fair start to their films.