On Thursday, the first-day first-show screening of the eagerly anticipated Pushpa 2 starring Allu Arjun was postponed for operational reasons, causing a commotion at multiplexes in Vadodara and Jamnagar. As a result, the police in both cities had to step in.
After the multiplex management in Vadodara failed to start the 6.20 am show on schedule, patrons of a multiplex in the Manjalpur district demonstrated and vandalized movie posters outside the waiting area. Some people traveled from as far away as Dabhoi and Waghodia to attend the event, which was expected to be packed, and the throng arrived as early as 5:30 am.
The management was confronted by irate protesters who wanted a refund after the performance didn’t start even 30 minutes after 6.20 am. Harsh Singh, a residential student from a private university in Waghodia, told a media publication, “Five of my friends and I wanted to catch the movie before the university lecture. We had been waiting for the film since ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ was released. Accordingly, when we realised that the film would have the first show at 6.20 am, we immediately booked tickets. We were excited and left Waghodia at 5 am in order to avoid delays. However, the irresponsible behaviour of the multiplex ruined our day.”
Singh claimed that the group was forced to skip the university lecture because the show started after 8.30 am. “We had paid so much for the tickets and the management was not willing to refund easily as the show had begun, eventually.”
After the irate demonstrators defaced posters and LED screens, the multiplex’s management called the Manjalpur police station to maintain order, but Vadodara municipal police officials claimed no one had been charged.
An officer of the Manjalpur police station said, “Two staff members tried to calm down the crowd. The multiplex had not cancelled the show but due to an operational delay, they were unable to begin on time. We asked the people to not take the law in their hands.”
At the multiplex’s Jamnagar franchise, a similar situation occurred when the 6 am performance was postponed. To keep the mob under control, Jamnagar police raced to the scene.
According to a Vadodara multiplex employee, “The hard drive, which is an encrypted USB stick containing the digital cinema package (DCP) of the film, had not arrived in time at the multiplexes although the movie was scheduled to have the first show at 6.20 am. The moment we received the file and the key, it was immediately released. We had requested the people to understand the problem as there was no cancellation planned. A few people who sought refunds were handed over the same. Several people also chose to eventually watch the film.”
Read Also: Gujarat Govt Appoints Tushar Dholakia As Chairman Of Gujarat Subordinate Services Selection Board
