You can now take vada-pav in multiplexes
It is a victory of sorts for the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena of Raj Thackeray. The State government on Friday allowed moviegoers to carry homemade eatables into cinema halls and multiplexes. At the same time, it warned the multiplexes that they would face action if they restrained movie watchers from doing so.
"There is no ban on patrons carrying outside food into multiplexes and if the authorities prohibit it, they could face action," Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ravindra Chavan said in the state legislature.His statement came after a heated debate on the exorbitant prices charged by multiplexes for food, water and beverages, a matter that MNS has been agitating on.
Also, from August 1, the maximum retail price of all products will be uniform in multiplexes. The government will frame rules within six weeks to punish those multiplexes which flout the law.
The government's announcement impacted the share prices of several major companies engaged in film exhibition/distribution which plummeted by 12-14 percent, according to reports.In recent weeks, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has been protesting outside various multiplexes in Mumbai, Thane, Pune and other cities where a popcorn pack costs Rs five outside was being sold for Rs 250 inside.The agitations, occasionally violent, however, seemed to have struck a cord and evoked huge public response even on social media platforms. The Bombay High Court last month demanded to know why the Maharashtra government was not regulating the prices of food and beverages sold inside multiplexes.
Hearing a petition filed last year by a social activist Jainendra Baxi, the court observed that in many instances, the foodstuffs were priced even higher than the entry ticket rates and ordered the state government to file its affidavit in the matter within four weeks.Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India (COEA) President Nitin Datar said that they have not received any orders from the government in this regard. "We will naturally comply if the government makes it mandatory. So far, it is an announcement in the legislature and the haze wil clear once the formal orders are issued," Datar said in a cautious reaction.While admitting there were discrepancies in the rates of foods and beverages, he claimed that the difference was much higher in multiplex chains owned by bigger companies.
"It is true that the prices vary, but these must be regulated everywhere, not just in the cinemas. This is a business meant to make profits, but if people cannot afford, they have the option of single-screen cinemas where the rates are much lower," Datar pointed out.