https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfO-6RP7mko
Indian cinema chain sued by film-goer over lengthy pre-film ads
Court orders compensation to be paid to
30-year-old from Bangalore, saying ‘in the new era, time is considered as
money, each one’s time is very precious’
Hannah
Ellis-Petersen in Delhi
Wed 26
Feb 2025 05.13 GMT
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/26/india-pvr-inox-cinema-chain-fine-preview-ads
Abhishek MR, a 30-year-old man from the southern city of Bangalore, had booked a trip to the cinema with friends in December last year to watch wartime drama Sam Bahadur.
But while the scheduled time he had booked the ticket for was 4.05pm, he had to sit through 25 minutes of adverts for upcoming features and commercial items such as homewares, mobile phones and cars before the film actually began.
Having planned to return to work straight after the film, Abhishek MR was angered by what he felt was a costly disruption to his life. He filed a lawsuit against PVR Inox, India’s largest cinema multiplex chain, stating that: “The complainant could not attend other arrangements and appointments which were scheduled for the day and has faced losses that cannot be calculated in terms of money as compensation.”
The lawsuit also accused multiplex cinemas of prioritising advertising revenue over their customers, and forcing them to sit through adverts against their will.
In a ruling in February, the consumer court proved highly sympathetic to Abhishek MR’s case and ordered for the cinema to grant him 50,000 INR (£450) for wasting his time and 5,000 INR (£45) for mental agony, as well as cover his legal expenses.
“In the new era, time is considered as money, each one’s time is very precious,” the court ruling stated. “Twenty-five to 30 minutes is a considerable amount of time to sit idle in the theatre and watch unnecessary ads. People with tight schedules do not have time to waste.”
The cinema had defended itself, arguing it was legally required to show public service announcements. However, it was found that most of the adverts shown before the film had been commercial.
Cinema is seen as a highly effective medium for advertising in India, and its share of the advertising sector is on the rise. Unlike western cinemas, in India, adverts are shown both before the film and during a 15-minute ad break in the middle of the feature.
Task 1. Comment on the
title of the article.
Task 2. Read and translate
the article paying attention to the words and phrases in bold.
Task 3. Find the English equivalents of the following words and phrases:
1) быть юридически обязательным
2) рекламная пауза
3) идти в гору/повышаться, улучшаться
4) суд по защите прав потребителей
5) покрывать юридические расходы
6) судебный процесс по обвинению
7) подать иск против
8) терпеть убытки
9) годовой доход
Task 4. Make up some sentences of your own with the words and
phrases in bold.
Task 5. Act out a dialogue
using the new vocabulary.
Task 6. Read the article a
second time and be ready to discuss in the classroom:
- what was the author’s intention to
tell the general public about
- what is the main idea/ problem raised
- speak on the logical devision
Answer the following
questions:
1.
What was the main reason Abhishek MR decided to file a lawsuit against PVR
Inox?
2.
How long did Abhishek MR have to sit through adverts before the film started?
3.
What compensation did the consumer court award Abhishek MR for his time and
mental agony?
4.
What argument did the cinema chain use to defend their practice of showing
adverts?
5.
How does the advertising practice in Indian cinemas differ from that in Western
cinemas?
Task 7. Write a rendering of the article. Mind the rules of a rendering writing. (second lesson)
