Kerala Theater Penalized ₹50,000 for Refusing Audience Entry at Film Start

The Malappuram District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ruled in favor of five residents from Elamkulam, directing the Plaza Theatre in Perinthalmanna to pay a fine of ₹50,000 for denying viewers the opportunity to watch a movie from the beginning, despite having booked seats and arriving punctually at the cinema hall.

The commission deemed this denial of the full movie experience as a deficiency in service, as stated in a release from the Public Relations Department in Malappuram.

The complaint was jointly filed by Sarath, Anand, Sujeesh, Vijesh, and Nikhil, who had gone to watch the Tamil movie ‘Ponniyin Selvan: 2’ on April 30, 2023.

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According to the complainants, they arrived at the theatre at 6:45 PM but were not allowed entry due to cleaning work being conducted before the show. They alleged that the theatre management misled them.

When they were eventually permitted to enter at 7:10 PM, the movie had already been playing for 10 minutes. The complainants further alleged that the theatre authorities refused to restart the movie from the beginning, citing their tight schedule due to the film’s lengthy duration.

However, the theatre authorities countered that the complainants arrived at the complex at 7:05 PM and were not intentionally denied entry.

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In their ruling, the bench comprising President K Mohandas and members Preeti Sivaraman and C V Muhammad Ismail stated, “Theatre authorities failed to schedule the show and subsequent cleaning properly. Viewers have the right to enter the theatre conveniently and watch the movie in a clean environment.”

“As there were lapses, a compensation of ₹50,000 should be paid to the five complainants. Additionally, ₹10,000 is awarded as costs,” the bench further stated.