Ronnie Screwwala, who runs his banner Ronnie Screwvala Productions (RSVP) to bankroll Bollywood films, has taken a legal action against four multiplex chains — PVR, Inox, Cinepolis and Carnival Cinemas. As per a report in a leading daily, he has filed a case with the Competition Commission of India and also the FICCI Multiplex Association of India demanding to scrap "undue imposition of Visual Print Fee (VPF)".
Reportedly, Ronnie has mentioned in his petition that multiplexes make Indian film producers/distributors pay Rs 20,000 as VPF for every film screened in every theatre and describes it as "draconian discriminatory charge that the multiplex chains are forcibly imposing". Apparently, the fee which came into being for a period of five years till December 2015 to support transformation of physical prints to digital, was later extended to December 2017. "However, they have continued collecting VPF directly from the distributors of Hindi and regional films," Ronnie's petition states, thereby mentioning that Hollywood films, dubbed versions as well, are exempted from the fee.
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Still from Sonchiriya[/caption]
In his petition, Ronnie has cited the case of Vicky Kaushal starrer Love Per Square Foot, which had to be released digitally, considering the exorbitant charges to get his film screened in the national multiplexes. "All the Indian producers on an average have to pay Rs 2 to 3 crore to the multiplexes as Visual Print Fees, if they want to release their film on 1000 to 1500 screens," the petition claims. Not to forget, Ronnie had a run-in with cine-owners during the release of the Sonchiriya and the undue VPF had made him change the release plans.
Meanwhile, Kamal Gianchandani, the CEO of PVR Cinemas, was asked to comment, he told the daily, "Since the matter is now sub-judice and will be under investigation there is nothing more to add at this stage."
