Kids watching A-rated film run into trouble in Haryana

For all underage children surreptitiously or inadvertently watching a movie with an adult certificate in a multiplex, beware. The police may be snooping around.

Next time before you buy movie ticket, make sure you’re 18 plus or it’s not a movie with an A-certificate. Underage children in Haryana’s Faridabad district learnt it the hard way.

Midway through the screening of controversial Bollywood multi-starred flick Grand Masti certified for adult viewing by the Censor Board — several police teams in uniform marched inside four multiplexes in the district, stopped its screening, identified underage children sitting in the hall and took them straight away to the central police station.

At least 25 children, including girls, below the age of 18 years were rounded up on Tuesday evening by police for viewing the A-certified movie in the multiplex.

Case registered

While police have never before shown such enthusiasm, it is also perhaps for the first time that the state police on Wednesday registered a case against the manager and staff of the multiplex under section 7 of the Cinematography Act, 1952 for selling ticket to underage children among other violations.

All the children were let off after a warning, but not before an embarrassing session at the police station, both for parents and the children.

Police made sure their parents were summoned and “counselled” on what needs to be done.  

Talking to Deccan Herald, Station House Officer Vijay Kumar said police acted on an information that several school-going children had gone to watch Grand Masti movie in four multiplexes.

“On the day of film’s release on September 13, we had served written notices to all multiplexes not to allow the screening of the movie to children below the age of 18 years. None of them took care,” Vijay Kumar said.   
 
Controversy

The movie had courted controversy after the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh put a stay on its release in theatres across Punjab and Haryana on grounds of obscene content and vulgar dialogues.

The movie Grand Masti starring Vivek Oberoi, Riteish Deshmukh and Aftab Shivdasani is a sequel to Masti. The High Court eventually vacated the stay.

Police sources said the number of underage children viewing the movie was in fact more, but they acted leniently.

Police said some of the underage children and the slightly older ones sitting inside were giggling when the police raid took place, perhaps, ignorant of what their fault was.

“Many of them showed their driving licence to establish their age. Another one said it was his 18th birthday which they had come to celebrate. Interestingly, there was also a couple who had come to watch the movie with their teenage children,” the SHO said.