A beverage cup reuse allegation at PVR Cinemas in Bengaluru’s Forum South Mall has triggered a hygiene row after a customer video showing an argument with multiplex staff crossed 1.2 million views on Instagram.
The video, shared by Instagram user Mithil, claims that a customer at the multiplex on Kanakapura Road found disposable cups with remnants of a soft drink and confronted staff. The incident came to light on Thursday. The customer was reportedly visiting the multiplex after his son’s cricket coaching session.
In the video, a customer is seen questioning staff members about a stack of disposable cups. A staff member initially denies that the cups had already been used. The customer then asks to speak to a manager, who also denies the allegation, according to the report. Staff members offer to replace the cup and serve a fresh beverage, but the customer refuses.
The video does not independently establish whether the cups had been reused. Forum South Mall, however, responded to the controversy on Instagram by apologising to the customer and saying that the PVR team was investigating the matter.
“The PVR team is currently investigating the matter, and appropriate action will be taken to ensure this is addressed,” the mall stated in its response. No conclusion from the investigation was included in the report.
The allegation has renewed criticism of the prices charged for food and beverages at multiplexes. Several users questioned whether customers receive adequate hygiene assurances when they buy drinks and snacks at venues where prices are substantially higher than those outside cinema premises.
Comments cited in the report included claims that customers may pay Rs 400-500 for a beverage that costs about Rs 40 elsewhere. Other users raised concerns about the possible health implications of serving drinks in a cup previously used by another customer. Those health concerns remain part of public reaction to the allegation and are not confirmation that contamination occurred.
The controversy also highlights an operational issue for multiplexes and shopping malls: food-and-beverage service is part of the customer experience but is managed through venue-level procedures that may not be visible to patrons. In this case, the mall’s public response places the next step with the PVR team’s investigation.
The incident has also prompted some social-media users to advise customers to crush disposable cups and plates before throwing them away, out of concern that discarded containers could be reused. The report does not establish whether such a practice took place at the multiplex.
The mall said appropriate action would be taken after the PVR team completes its investigation. The findings of that investigation and any response from PVR will determine whether the allegation is substantiated and what corrective measures, if any, follow.
