Ronnie Screwvala says he petitioned to fast-track investigation following INOX ban on Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota

It was recently reported that Ronnie Screwvala-produced Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota will not be showcased in any of the INOX theatres because Screwvala had filed a case with Competition Commission of India (CCI) against four multiplex chains in India. The petition demanded that the multiplexes should not charge the virtual print fee (VPF) anymore and described it as a "draconian discriminatory charge."

Screwvala told Times of India that the INOX management will only screen the film if he withdraws his complaint.

Abhimanyu Dassani in a still from Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. Screenshot from YouTube

He said, "We are compelled to pay the VPF and so we are paying to other multiplexes under protest. Even with INOX, we had agreed to pay under protest, but they were clear (that) we had to withdraw the complaint unilaterally." Screwvala added that this ban is a "basic attack" on his "constitutional right" to seek redressal and said that he has petitioned to fast-track the investigation.

Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, directed by Vasan Bala, was also released in the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, South Africa and Japan among others. The film, starring Abhimanyu Dassani and Radhika Madan, recently hit Taiwanese theatres and will soon release in China and the US as well.