By Risha Ganguly

Copyright timesnownews

The release of Jolly LLB 3 almost faced a major roadblock just hours before hitting the big screen. According to reports, the team was compelled to pay the controversial Virtual Print Fee (VPF) under protest after a standoff with multiplex chain PVR Inox, and lead actor Akshay Kumar himself got involved in the matter. Read on to know what VPF is and how the issue arose. Jolly LLB 3 makers pay VPF but… As per earlier reports, ticket bookings for the courtroom drama were first kept on hold by PVR Inox on Wednesday, September 17, due to disagreements over VPF. While bookings briefly resumed the following morning, the issue escalated again when the multiplex chain suspended bookings on Thursday evening – less than 12 hours before the first show, as per a report in Bollywood Hungama. A source told the portal, “The bookings were yet again kept on hold and this happened less than 12 hours before the first show of the film. The team of the film immediately got into a negotiation mode. Even Akshay Kumar, one of the lead actors of Jolly LLB 3, was involved.” ALSO READ: Jolly LLB 3 Movie Review and Release Live Updates What is VPF and the whole issue? The core of the dispute was an earlier agreement between Viacom18 and PVR Inox. The report stated that Viacom18 had signed an agreement with PVR Inox that they’ll pay VPF only until 2024. So, they felt justified in asking for a waiver for Jolly LLB 3. But PVR Inox argued that other production houses might start doing the same and since other producers continue to pay VPF this year, Viacom18 should also do the same. Eventually, with bookings halted and a significant threat to the film’s first-day box office collections, the producers agreed to pay the VPF, though under protest. The same source added, “With bookings halted, there would have been a major impact on the first day of collections. As a result, the team of Jolly LLB 3 agreed to the VPF payment. However, they made it clear that they are paying under protest and that they would continue with their discussion on this issue.” A multiplex official told Bollywood Hungama that the impasse was resolved just in time: “The issue was sorted around midnight. We all got the go-ahead to resume bookings. The film has now been released smoothly across the country.” For context, Virtual Print Fee (VPF) is a charge levied by multiplex chains on producers and distributors to help cover the cost of upgrading their technology, which is intended to enhance the movie-going experience for audiences.