CBFC Reconstituted With 18 Members For Three-Year Term; Manoj Joshi, Suniel Shetty, Preity Zinta in New Board
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The government has reconstituted the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with 18 members for a three-year term, bringing a new composition to the film-certification body amid continued debates over cuts, delays and certification decisions.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry said the reconstitution was carried out under Section 3(1) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, read with Rule 3 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. The new board takes effect immediately and will remain in place for three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
An I&B Ministry official told NDTV that the reconstitution had been pending for some time, with some members of the previous board no longer active and the terms of some others having ended. The CBFC is generally reconstituted every three years. The previous board was constituted in 2017 with 12 members.
The new 18-member board includes actors Manoj Joshi, Suniel Shetty, Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi and Prosenjit Chatterjee, filmmaker Priyadarshan, musician Ricky Kej, theatre personalities and other members.
Certification Disputes Have Remained A Flashpoint
The reconstitution comes at a time when film certification has continued to attract attention from filmmakers and audiences.
One of the most prominent recent cases is Satluj, the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer earlier titled Punjab 95. The film remained caught in the certification process for nearly three years after being submitted to the CBFC in 2022. Its makers had alleged that the board had sought 127 cuts.
The film was eventually released on ZEE5 in July under the title Satluj without the proposed cuts. However, it was removed from the platform in India within 48 hours.
The film's prolonged journey highlighted how certification decisions can affect a movie's release, including proposed cuts, changes to the film and delays.
Other recent releases have also faced certification-related scrutiny. Welcome To The Jungle received a UA 16+ certificate after 18 modifications, while certification-related disputes surrounding Jana Nayagan resulted in delays and legal proceedings.
Statutory Role Of CBFC Remains Unchanged
Despite the change in membership, the statutory role of the CBFC remains governed by the Cinematograph Act and the 2024 certification rules.
The newly constituted board will serve for up to three years, with the government's move primarily changing the composition of the members responsible for carrying out the certification body's functions.
