Hyderabad theatre ordered to pay Rs 75,000 over delayed Kuberaa screening

Kuberaa (Pic/Instagram)

A screening of Dhanush and Nagarjuna's Kuberaa has led to a consumer commission ruling in Hyderabad. A moviegoer complained that he had to sit through more than 20 minutes of advertisements and trailers before the film started. The Hyderabad District Consumer Commission has now directed the theatre company to pay Rs 75,000.

Hyderabad theatre ordered to compensate for delay in Kuberaa show

The Hyderabad District Consumer Commission has directed a movie theatre company to pay Rs 75,000 after finding that a moviegoer who booked tickets for Dhanush and Nagarjuna-starrer Kuberaa had to sit through more than 20 minutes of advertisements before the film began.

The commission held that the theatre had violated government guidelines limiting public service advertisements to two minutes. It observed that the prolonged advertisements amounted to a deficiency in service and an unfair trade practice.

President Vakkanti Narasimha Rao and member Suma Vala awarded Rs 25,000 as compensation to the 33-year-old complainant. An additional Rs 50,000 was directed to be paid to the District Consumer Welfare Fund as damages, with the commission noting that the measure was intended to prevent such an unfair trade practice from being repeated.

What happened in the case?

The case relates to a screening of Kuberaa on June 20, 2025. The complainant had booked two tickets for the 10:35 pm show and reached the theatre with a friend before the scheduled start time. According to his complaint, they were seated by around 10:30 pm, but the film did not begin at the scheduled time.

Advertisements and movie trailers continued to play until around 10:52 pm. Public service awareness films were screened afterwards, following which the main feature finally began.

The complainant told The Indian Express that the delay disrupted his plans and caused him to reach home at around 3 am, nearly an hour later than expected. He subsequently approached the consumer commission, alleging that the prolonged advertisements amounted to a deficiency in service.

During the proceedings, the theatre company argued that advertisements, public service announcements and movie trailers were part of its regular business operations. It also submitted that public service announcements served a broader public-interest purpose. However, the commission did not accept the theatre's defence in the circumstances of the case.