22 mins of ads before film cost Hyderabad theatre Rs 75k in fine

The issue is from 2025, when a man booked two tickets for the film Kubera in June, scheduled for 10.35 pm.

Hyderabad: A movie theatre company in Hyderabad was directed to pay Rs 75,000 after a moviegoer filed a complaint stating he had to sit through over 20 minutes of commercial advertisements before the film started.

The issue is from 2025, when a man booked two tickets for the film Kubera in June, scheduled for 10.35 pm. The 33-year-old said he and his friend reached their allotted seats by 10.30 pm, following which the theatre began displaying advertisements and film trailers. He argued that it gave an impression that the film would start in a few minutes, as scheduled.

The theatre, however, continued playing advertisements and trailers until 10.52 pm, he said, delaying the movie by roughly 22 minutes. The moviegoer said that at 10.52 pm, the theatre played public service awareness films as mandated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, with the movie only starting after it.

‘Unfair trade practice’

The District Consumer Commission, in an order dated September 11, directed the theatre to pay Rs 25,000 compensation to the man who raised the issue, while ordering Rs 50,000 to be paid to the District Consumer Welfare Fund as damages to ensure the “unfair” trade practice is not repeated.

In an order dated September 11, the District Consumer Commission directed the theatre to pay Rs 25,000 in compensation to the complainant. The commission ordered the remaining Rs 50,000 in damages to be deposited into the District Consumer Welfare Fund to deter future unfair trade practices.

The Commission president, Vakkanti Narasimha Rao, and member Suma Vala held that the theatre violated guidelines restricting public service advertisements to up to two minutes.

“The duration of screening of the approved films / PSA (public service awareness) films has now been restricted to ‘up to 2 minutes’,” the order read.

‘Caused inconvenience, reached home an hour late’

“However, the first opposite party (movie theatre company) under the management and control of the second opposite party (theatre) has wilfully and deliberately violated the mandate by telecasting commercial advertisements… with an intention to derive undue commercial benefit.”

The 30-year-old claimed that the delay in screening resulted in him reaching home an hour late at around 3 am, causing inconvenience and disrupting personal commitments and leisure.

Company defends its right to display commercials

Consequently, the individual turned to the District Consumer Commission for financial redress. Represented by advocate M. Naga Deepak, the company maintained that displaying advertisements, public service announcements, commercial spots, and movie trailers falls within the constitutionally protected right to conduct business.

The company said the public service announcements were for spreading awareness on issues relating to education, literacy, agriculture, rural development, the welfare of women and weaker sections, and Swachh Bharat. Such announcements, it said, were screened during prime time, before the movie, when the audience was seated.

After reviewing the regulations on trailer and advertisement screenings, the commission held the theatre accountable for delays due to commercial spots. The tribunal ordered the theatre company to pay Rs 20,000 in compensation for inconvenience resulting from unfair and restrictive trade practices and Rs 5,000 in litigation expenses.

The commission also ordered the company to contribute Rs 50,000 to the District Consumer Welfare Fund, emphasising that the penalty aims to enforce the immediate discontinuation of the unfair practices.