Paresh Rawal talks about recliner seats in cinemas, says 'You haven't come to a spa but to watch a film...'

Paresh Rawal on cinema seats in India

In a recent episode of Himanshu Mehta's podcast, veteran Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal confirmed his return to the cherished Hera Pheri franchise.

In addition to this thrilling announcement, Paresh Rawal provided honest commentary on the state of Hindi cinema today, pointing out the distorted ticket prices and contrasting them with the more affordable, well-organised ticket models that are more common in South India.

Paresh Rawal posits that one of the principal reasons Hindi films are struggling at the box office is their choice of subject matter.

He stressed that the boom of OTT platforms during the pandemic transformed audience expectations, offering them rich, varied content. “The audience has changed, but filmmakers haven’t,” he observed.

Paresh Rawal didn’t mince words about the upscale recliner seating in multiplexes, saying "You are supposed to watch a film while sitting. Let ke nahin dekhi jaati (it is not watching while lying). You haven’t come to a spa, you have come to see a film! Also, waiters keep roaming around."

He added, "We have to tell them ‘Hatt, hatt’. Arre it’s a film, not a wedding event. Because of all this gandagi – gold class and all– you don’t feel like going to the cinemas. It’s okay to sit comfortably on a seat. But why sit (lying down) with a pillow? Aise hi baithna hai toh spa mein jao ya fir mujra dekhne jao (If you want to sit like that, then go to a spa or to watch a mujra)"

He objected to the cramped, concierge-like service, complaining about servers popping up mid‑film and disrupting the experience. Gesturing dismissively, he quipped that if patrons want to lounge luxuriously, they should head to a spa or even a mujra performance, not a cinema.

He criticised the steep ticket costs in Hindi cinema, pointing out how, in the South, prices rarely exceed ₹200. “If the aam janta (general public) shuns your film and only the rich class endorses your films, then it’s wrong,” he insisted, adding that for an average middle-class family of five or six, a trip to the cinema can easily cost ₹5,000–₹6,000 once snacks are included.

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“Also, there’s no guarantee that the film will satisfy you,” he noted.

Aside from his upcoming Hera Pheri project, Paresh Rawal has a promising slate: Nikita Roy, the directorial debut from Kussh S Sinha (son of Shatrughan Sinha), now features Sonakshi Sinha, Arjun Rampal, and Suhail Nayyar, with its release pushed from 27 June to 18 July.

Other projects include Priyadarshan’s Bhooth Bangla, starring Akshay Kumar and Tabu, and Welcome to the Jungle.