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Tag: Multiplex association of India

  • Lights, camera, pause! Karnataka high court halts penalty on PVR over ad drama

    Lights, camera, pause! Karnataka high court halts penalty on PVR over ad drama

    MUMBAI: In a twist worthy of a courtroom thriller, the Karnataka high court has put the brakes on a Rs one lakh penalty slapped on PVR Cinemas and PVR Inox Ltd for their allegedly marathon-length advertisements. The cinema giants were ordered to deposit the sum with the consumer welfare fund, alongside compensation to a miffed moviegoer.

    The plot thickened when justice M Nagaprasanna granted a stay order until 27 March, responding to a petition by the Multiplex Association of India and its stakeholder Shantanu Pai. Legal heavyweights Mukul Rohatgi and Uday Holla stepped into the spotlight to argue their case.

    The original drama kicked off when Abhishek MR settled in to watch Sam Bahadur on 6 January 2024. What should have been a tidy 2 hours and 25 minutes turned into an extended sitting, as he endured what he called an “unnecessary” 25-minute pre-show advertisement marathon.

    The Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Commission, playing hero to the movie-going masses, ordered PVR to compensate Abhishek for mental agony and legal costs. The commission went full director’s cut, attempting to dictate how cinema halls should run their shows and banned advertisements altogether.

    The petitioners argued that the consumer forum had overstepped its mark by treating a personal grievance like a public interest litigation.

    The high court, giving the consumer forum’s ruling two thumbs down, noted that their directions appeared to be “without jurisdiction.”

    While the state government suggested an appeal to the state consumer forum, justice Nagaprasanna wasn’t about to let legal technicalities steal the show, invoking Article 226 of the Constitution.

    For now, it seems the credits haven’t quite rolled on this legal blockbuster. The next hearing is scheduled for 27 March  where the future of pre-show adverts hangs in the balance. As they say in the business: to be continued…

  • Cinema halls, drama theatres to reopen in Maharashtra from 22 Oct

    Cinema halls, drama theatres to reopen in Maharashtra from 22 Oct

    Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has announced that cinema halls and drama theatres in the state will be allowed to operate starting from 22 October. Theatres will have to adhere to the norms set by the government to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

    The state government is going to issue a standard operating procedure for theatre owners soon.

    Thackeray convened a meeting of Covid-19 task force attended by Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, state chief secretary Sitaram Kunte and filmmakers Rohit Shetty and Kunal Kapoor. Theatre personality Makarand Deshpande and Marathi actors Subodh Bhave, Aadesh Bandekar among others were also present.

    Theatre owners and associations such as the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) have been actively campaigning, urging the Maharashtra government to relax restrictions on theatres. According to the association, Maharashtra cinema exhibition industry was staring at a monthly loss of Rs 400 crore and were suffering mounting losses with the prolonged shutdown of theatres. Theatres have been shut since mid-March 2020. Restrictions were relaxed briefly in the months of October and November only to be tightened once again with the onset of the second wave.

    Meanwhile, Karnataka has also announced its decision to operate cinema halls and auditoriums at full capacity from 1 October, months after being run at half capacity due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government guidelines mandate a minimum of one dose of vaccine along with other social distancing norms.

    Maharashtra recorded 3,286 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, out of which 446 were from Mumbai. As many as 51 people lost their lives to the disease in the last 24 hours. The total number of total active cases in the state stand at 38, 491, at the time of filing this report.

  • Multiplex Association of India expresses displeasure over decision to keep cinemas, multiplexes shut in Unlock 2.0

    Multiplex Association of India expresses displeasure over decision to keep cinemas, multiplexes shut in Unlock 2.0

    MUMBAI: On 1 June the government of India entered into unlocking by phases. As per Unlock 2.0 guidelines, offices, high streets, markets and shopping malls, airlines are opened but there is no relief for multiplexes. It continues to be included in the prohibited activities list.

    Today, Multiplex Association of India (MAI), under the aegis of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) issued an official statement expressing their disappointment over central government’s decision to keep cinemas and multiplexes shut even when the other business is opened up.  

    “At a time when a significant part of the economy is being opened up, including domestic travel, offices, high street, markets, shopping complexes, etc., the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) feels dismayed that cinemas and multiplexes continue to remain in the list of prohibited activities under the central government’s Unlock 2.0 guidelines. The association finds it highly demotivating and disheartening when in fact, cinemas and multiplexes can become an example of how social distancing guidelines and crowd control can be best exercised in a safe and planned manner. As compared to the unorganised retail and shops that have been opened up, multiplexes and cinema are part of the organised sector, playing hosts to ‘revenue paying’ customers only and hence, in a better position to limit crowds unlike marketplaces and deploy all the mechanisms and guidelines for crowd control and social distancing,” MAI states in the note.

    The body highlighted that the multiplex industry in India employs more than 200,000 people directly. It also points out that it is the backbone of the Indian film industry accounting nearly 60 per cent of revenues of film business. And directly providing  livelihoods to more than a million people – right from the spot boys to makeup artists, musicians, designers, technicians and engineers to cinema employees to directors and actors.

    The body also said that the lockdown has brought the entire industry to a standstill with losses mounting every passing day. It mentions that an early decision to allow cinemas to open up will only help the mobilisation of resources in the film industry’s ecosystem and would lead to gradual resurrection.

    It said that even after opening up, they anticipate at least three to six months before things return anywhere close to normal.

    It further read, “On one hand where programming of new content will take some time to kick in; movie buffs on the other hand are expected to take a cautious approach before returning to cinemas. These are real challenges that the industry will have to overcome and we believe together, with the support of the government, we will be able to overcome them.”

    Globally, countries like France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Austria, Hong Kong, UAE, US, etc. and more recently Belgium and Malaysia have opened cinemas.

    To which the MAI said, “Many countries around the globe have opened up cinema halls and multiplexes to the public with implementation of the highest degree of safety protocols and have seen a warm response by audiences. In effect, more than 20 major cinema markets around the world have started operating. MAI is of the firm belief that, there must be a start and the unlocking of cinemas in non-containment zones across India should be done post haste – there must be a beginning and an opportunity must be given to us, just like some of the other sectors.”

  • Multiplex Association, FICCI release safety plan for theatres to restart

    Multiplex Association, FICCI release safety plan for theatres to restart

    MUMBAI: Multiplex Association of India (MAI) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) have come up with detailed 12-point safety and enhanced precaution plan to be adopted by cinema halls. They have submitted the proposal to the ministry of information and broadcasting and various state governments. With India opening up for business slowly from the Covid2019 lockdown, it is expected that cinema halls and multiplexes may open up with a lot of restrictions.

    Movie critic-film trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted: “Multiplex association of India submits enhanced safety and precautions plan for cinemas to information & broadcasting ministry and various state governments.” Terming it as a very important development, he shared a detailed layout of how multiplexes will focus more on the safety of cinema lovers.

    The association urges cine-goers to follow the social distancing rules and have minimal human contact. They will also have to ensure that they are doing everything in their capacity to maintain strict hygiene levels.

    In order to keep multiplexes disinfected and clean, the association points out that theatre staff has to disinfect all areas, including ticket counter, security area, lobby, auditorium, food and beverage stand, restrooms, and even exit doors.

    While maintaining social distancing, multiplexes should check the body temperature of each person with infrared scanners, to make the wearing of masks compulsory in the premises. PPE kits will also be made available for purchase and hand sanitizers placed at all strategic locations.

    Digital transactions will be encouraged at the ticket counter. And, film enthusiasts will also be required to stand in demarcated circles at all times within the premises. Similarly, cine-goers will be urged to order food items digitally at the theatre, and the theatre should only sell single-use disposable packaging for food and drinks. Premium theatres will serve using proper cutlery and crockery.

    The association explains that families, groups, and couples will be seated together as per global cinema standards. However, one adjacent seat will be left empty as a precautionary social distancing measure in ordinary theatres. However, no seats will be left empty at luxury auditoriums as the reclining seats already have enough gap between them, the guidelines point out.

    Besides normal cleaning, the staff will be required to deep clean seats and all the frequently used locations at the theatre on a daily basis. Moreover, the staff will also have to wear masks and gloves at all times during working hours. They also will have to download the Aarogya Setu app on a mandatory basis.

    Sanitization and disinfectants that will be used to clean the theatre and its surroundings will be purchased only from authenticated suppliers. Film enthusiasts will be encouraged to use alternate urinals.

    To increase the awareness among the viewers, all precautionary measures will be promoted through various mediums inside the cinema hall. The staff will have to be swift and efficient in managing the crowd and detecting possible cases. And, the use of single-use, 3D glasses will be promoted.

    With the aim of keeping cinemas safe for India, the association states that the aforementioned stringent precautions will be implemented for the first two months from the day operation resumes. Post two months, the situation will be reviewed and an appropriate decision will be taken accordingly.

    It’s been almost two months now since cinema halls stopped operating. Many production houses have started releasing their films on OTT platforms. This has irked the multiplexes which are eager to restart the cinemas.