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 body at a time when film certification has repeatedly become a flashpoint for filmmakers and audiences.
The timing gives the move added significance.
"The reconstitution had been pending for some time, with some members of the previous board no longer active and the terms of some others having passed away," an I&B Ministry official told NDTV. The board is usually reconstituted every three years. It was last reconstituted in 2017, with 12 members.
One of the most prominent recent examples of the challenges around certification is Satluj, the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer earlier titled Punjab 95. The film spent nearly three years caught in the certification process after being submitted to the CBFC in 2022. Its makers had alleged that the board sought 127 cuts.
When the film eventually appeared on ZEE5 in July under the new title Satluj, it was released without cuts. However, within 48 hours, it was removed from the platform in India.
The film's journey has become one of the clearest illustrations of how certification decisions can shape a movie's release - from cuts and changes to prolonged delays.
Other recent films have faced similar scrutiny. Welcome To The Jungle, for example, received a UA 16+ certificate after 18 modifications, while certification disputes around Jana Nayagan also led to delays and legal proceedings.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the reconstitution was carried out "in exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, read with Rule 3 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024."
The ministry said the new board would take effect immediately and continue "for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier."
The 18-member board includes mainstream actors Manoj Joshi, Suniel Shetty, Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi and Prosenjit Chatterjee, filmmaker Priyadarshan, musician Ricky Kej, theatre personalities and other members.
What changes, therefore, is primarily the people making up the board rather than the statutory role of the CBFC. The board continues to operate under the Cinematograph Act and the 2024 certification rules, with its members appointed for a term of up to three years.
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