Following paid previews of Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar, the audience at PVR Superplex Mall of India, Noida, became irate. Halfway through, The Revenge cancelled, and police were called in.
What was supposed to be Dhurandhar’s exclusive, paid preview Last night (March 18) at PVR Superplex, Mall of India in Noida, The Revenge turned into hours of uncertainty, rage, and protests after shows were abruptly stopped in the middle owing to what was described as a “technical glitch.” The inability to witness Ranveer Singh’s action in the second part of the Aditya Dhar film was bemoaned by viewers.
As the situation worsened with demonstrations, police intervention, and accusations of mismanagement, viewers who had only seen the first half were forced to wait for hours before all screenings were finally cancelled.
This was not an isolated incidence, as many irate moviegoers on social media reported that shows were cancelled, with some even occurring halfway across the nation in towns like Lucknow, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and others.
The disturbance started at 5:45 p.m. when the 10-minute pause stretched into an endless delay. The “technical glitch” was explained to the audience, although it was unclear when or if the movie would resume.
Shows were halted, and the audience was stuck
Many spectators were frustrated since they had only seen half of the movie before being forced to wait indefinitely.
“8 baje se hum wait kar rahe hain,” remarked Shashank Singh, a businessman from Sector 78 who went to the screening with his wife Swati. The programs were still playing on the other screens, but Audi 1 had a show stall.”
“They kept telling us five more minutes and kept selling popcorn and Pepsi as if the show would start soon,” Swati continued. For what did we spend an additional ₹2,000 on food and beverage? They have profited from the sales, but what about our money and time?
Other screenings were quickly affected by the disturbance. The Audi 2 performance at 6:45 p.m. began over an hour late and ended abruptly.
All of us have been sitting here for hours, waiting to see what will happen. They don’t even say, “Show hoga bhi nahi.” “There’s just chaos!” exclaimed Delhi-based attorney Deveshi Madan.
Lack of communication, dangers, and confusion
As things became worse, a number of patrons complained about the theatre staff’s poor management and lack of openness.
Makeup artist Sakshi Srivastava stated, “I noticed that the second half of the film was playing in another audi.” They threatened to call the cops if I stood there when I questioned this. How can you threaten to take legal action against someone who is attempting to get their money back?
“We can’t spare six hours every day,” stated Puneet Panchal, who was present with his wife and son. We were prepared to wait for the bug to be fixed, but these individuals were not providing us with any information.
Sector 29 resident Madhura Walia continued, “We were just asked to go home.” A staff member informed us that all subsequent shows had been cancelled due to a certification issue. Now that nothing was functioning, what was the purpose?
Inside the theatre, protests
Groups of moviegoers chanted “haye haye PVR” and demanded that the movie be shown as the hours went by without a resolution.
Even though many who had only seen the first half were still waiting, tensions increased as the theatre was getting ready for a play on a different screen at 10 p.m.
“Humne excitement mein book kari,” remarked Shalini Jain, who had purchased seats to the IMAX. Aapne aadhe logon ko dikhaya aur aadho ko bhaga diya. How equitable is this? Refunds are not being issued. Experience ki preview ka kharab kar diya.
Police made a call.
Theatre employees phoned the police when the audience became agitated. “Ye technical glitch aya tha,” stated Ravish, DLF’s head of security. The cops are bulani padi, and the crowd is restless.
“We were only there in case of any untoward incident,” a police officer on the scene stated. This movie was eagerly awaited. Hum nahi chahte koi durghatna ho.
The theatre eventually halted all screenings and started to evacuate the premises after audience members objected to new shows being shown, with police escorting a number of individuals leave.
Refunds are given, yet resentment persists
A staff worker stated that although refunds were being processed, content delivery was the root of the problem. “The distributors had an issue with this. There were only a few screens and about 1,200 people. We couldn’t do anything. What can we do now that the backend has completed the process? A staff member who wished to remain anonymous informed us, “Hum bhi gaaliyaan kha rahe hain.”
Many attendees, however, claimed that the experience was more than just inconvenient. They turn off the lights, the air conditioning, and even the restrooms. This is fundamental human dignity, according to student Advait Marathe.
Arshdeep Singh made a more serious accusation that the authorities mistreated him. “I was merely attempting to calm people down, but I was smacked, my phone was taken, and I was escorted out. I will file a lawsuit after speaking with my attorney.
When fans travelled between cities, they encountered cancellations.
For fans who had gone out of their way to see the preview, the turmoil was especially depressing.
“I took a 6pm flight to Delhi just to watch this,” said Shankar S, who travelled from Hyderabad after shows were cancelled there. I have seats reserved through March 21. Aaj nahi hua toh koi nahi, but dekh ke hi jayenge.
The tragedy happened in the midst of intense anticipation for Dhurandhar The Revenge’s pan-India release and substantial advance bookings.
However, the preview night concluded with half a movie for a lot of people in Noida.
Notably, after the dubbed versions were cancelled in several cities earlier in the day, director Aditya Dhar apologised. However, at the time of writing, no statement regarding the cancelled half shows was issued.
