The 15-screen multiplex at Pune?s Seasons Mall at Magarpatta City was supposed to be the launch of Mexican theatre chain Cinepolis? entry into the megaplex or mega multiplex business in India.

It was to be followed by the second megaplex in Thane?s Viva City (now called Viviana Mall) with 14 screens. These would have been the biggest such theatres in the country with ability to have 75 shows a day with a new movie being run every 10 minutes. But the dispute between the Mexican shareholders of Cinepolis and top leadership team, that set up Cinepolis India, has put a question mark on the future of these megaplexes.

The ongoing dispute is between the Cinepolis India MD Milan Saini and joint MD Deepak Marda against the Cinepolis Mexican shareholders Alejandro Ramirez Magana and other shareholders as well as their management team of Javier Sotomayor, Miguel Mier.

The Cinepolis brand was brought to India by Stanford University batchmates, Marda and Saini, in 2007 and they staked claim to be the co-founders of Cinepolis India. They were promised equity in Cinepolis India after five years of incorporating the business and this would have amounted to a 36% share in equity in Cinepolis India.

The Mexican company changed their stance in March 2013 and questioned the applicability of the agreement. The Mexican company failed to allot this equity commitment and instead sacked Saini and Marda. The duo had gone to court and got the courts order to maintain status quo.

The Gurgaon civil court had in April 2013 ordered the Mexican multiplex giant Cinepolis to issue equity shares to Marda and Saini and restrained the company from sacking them.

An FIR was also registered by Gurgaon police against the Mexican owners and management of Cinepolis on August 17, 2013. The duo have also gone to the Company Law Board against their forcible eviction from Cinepolis India.

In the FIR, Saini and Marda have accused the Mexican directors and management of criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, falsification of accounts and criminal conspiracy for not honoring their commitment of granting equity in Cinepolis India after five years of starting operations and instead sacking them.

The duo said in the FIR that they had establishing the Cinepolis business in India and grown it to be a significant player in the film exhibition business. They have 59 screens operational so far and by end of 2013, Cinepolis is expected to have 100 screens. They have got lease rights for 400 additional screens

Cinepolis India is a subsidiary of Cinepolis which is headquartered in Morelia, Mexico and was the world?s fourth largest movie theater circuit, operating more than 2,500 screens in 11 countries.

With the case going to the police and the courts, the growth plans of Cinepolis in India is going to be adversely affected.