Fans of Allu Arjun’s much awaited film Pushpa 2 A ruckus erupted at multiplexes in Vadodara and Jamnagar on Thursday, where the first show of the first day was delayed due to its opening at 6.20 am, forcing the police in both cities to intervene.
In Vadodara, a multiplex located in Manjalpur area saw film posters vandalized and displayed outside the waiting area after the multiplex management failed to start the 6.20 am show on time. The event, which was expected to be a house full, saw a crowd gather from 5.30 am – some even came from Davoi and Waghodia.
At 6:20 am, when the show did not start for half an hour, the angry protesters surrounded the management and demanded their withdrawal. Harsh Singh, a residential student at a private university in Waghodia, told The Indian Express, “My five friends and I wanted to watch a movie before the university lecture. Ever since the release of ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, we were waiting for the film. Accordingly, after knowing that the first show of the film will be at 6.20 am, we immediately booked the tickets. We got excited and left Waghodia at 5 am to avoid delay. However, the irresponsible behavior of the multiplex ruined our day.”
Singh said the program started at 8.30 am and left the group with no option to miss the university lecture. “We paid so much for the tickets and the management was not willing to refund easily as the show had started.”
After the angry protesters damaged posters and LED screens, the management of the multiplex called the Manjalpur police station to take control of the situation, but police officials of the Vadodara city police said that no case has been registered for any crime.
An officer of Manjalpur police station said, “Two personnel tried to calm the crowd. The multiplex had not canceled the shows but due to operational delays they could not start on time. We have asked the people not to take the law into their hands.”
A similar scene was witnessed when the 6 am show was delayed at the Jamnagar franchise of the multiplex. Jamnagar police reached the spot to control the crowd.
An employee of Vadodara multiplex said, “The hard drive containing the digital cinema package (DCP) of the film containing the encrypted USB stick did not arrive at the multiplex on time, even though the first show of the film was scheduled to take place. 6.20 am. The moment we received the file and the key, it was released immediately. As there is no plan to cancel, we have requested the public after realizing the problem. Some people who asked for a refund were also handed over. Many people eventually chose to watch the film as well.”