The government has issued new guidelines for the certification of Indian films. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting changed the film certification rules on Thursday. The new guidelines have replaced the rules framed in 1991. Although the earlier provisions on censorship have not been completely changed, the rules related to creative freedom, social change, age-based ratings and content have been clarified in a new manner.
The new guidelines ask filmmakers to exercise particular caution in their portrayal of violence, drugs, smoking, sexual violence and women. The rules related to the portrayal of children and vulnerable groups have also been clarified.
What are the new guidelines, and which films will they affect?
1. Balancing creative freedom and censorship
Under the new guidelines, the censor board will have to ensure that films uphold social values and responsibility, but artists’ creative freedom must not be unnecessarily restricted in the name of this. The emphasis is on maintaining a balance between censorship and creative freedom.
2. No glorification of violence and crime
Films will have to avoid promoting or glorifying violence or crime. Showing methods of committing crimes in such detail that people could learn how to carry them out will also be prohibited. Instructions have also been issued to reduce unnecessary excessive violence, cruelty and frightening scenes.
3. Strictness over content involving children
There will also be stricter scrutiny of content depicting children as victims of violence, perpetrators of violence or being forced to witness violence. Filmmakers have also been advised to avoid depicting the abuse of children.
4. Ban on cruelty towards people with disabilities and animals
Films will be prohibited from depicting unnecessary cruelty towards animals. Content that mocks or depicts the mistreatment of people with physical or mental disabilities has also been prohibited.
5. No glorification of alcohol, drugs or smoking
Films will have to avoid glamorising alcohol consumption, drug use or smoking. Scenes involving narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances will be required to display the prescribed anti-drug warning.
6. No graphic scenes of sexual violence
Content that insults or demeans women will also be prohibited. If it is necessary to depict sexual violence for the story, it cannot be shown in a graphic or extremely detailed manner. The guidelines also state that sexual content must be limited to what is necessary.
7. Obscenity and double-meaning dialogues also under scrutiny
Existing restrictions on obscenity, objectionable language and double-meaning dialogues in films that are considered likely to provoke viewers’ “baser instincts” will remain in force.
8. Caution Regarding Religions and Communities
Depicting derogatory words or scenes against any religion, race or community will remain prohibited. In addition, content promoting communalism, superstition, unscientific thinking or “anti-national” ideas will also remain banned.
9. National Security and Law and Order
Content that harms India’s sovereignty and integrity, the security of the state or public order will remain prohibited. Rules will also apply to material that could affect India’s friendly relations with other countries.
10. Rules Relating to Courts and Defamation
Films will also remain subject to restrictions on defamatory material and content amounting to contempt of court. The guidelines make it clear that content which creates insult, contempt or disrespect towards the courts, or undermines their dignity, may fall within the scope of contempt.
Certification will also be based on age
The new guidelines include the U/A 7+, U/A 13+ and U/A 16+ categories. However, these categories are not entirely new; they had already been included in the 2024 certification process and the 2025 guidelines.
Salman Khan’s film could be affected
Salman Khan will soon be seen in the film Matrubhoomi. The film is based on the India-China clash and will reportedly include some scenes depicting China in a negative light, but the new guidelines could adversely affect it. Films can no longer include scenes against countries with which India has good relations. The film is already facing controversy. It is based on the Galwan clash in 2020 and was initially titled Battle of Galwan, but the title was changed to Matrubhoomi after objections were raised. The film was widely criticised after its trailer was released. It has not yet received a certificate from the censor board.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the censor board, or the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), have announced a new 18-member board. Several prominent figures from the cinema and television industries have been included in the new team.
The prominent names among them include actress Preity Zinta, actors Suniel Shetty and Pankaj Tripathi, television actress Rupali Ganguly, Pallavi Joshi and Bengali cinema veteran actor Prosenjit Chatterjee. The new board will function under the Cinematograph Act for a three-year term or until further orders.
What were the old rules?
The 1991 guidelines had also stated that-
- Violence and crime should not be glorified or justified.
- The method of committing a crime should not be shown in a way that encourages crime.
- Children were not to be shown as victims of violence or as perpetrators of violence.
- Unnecessary cruelty towards animals and mockery of people with disabilities were prohibited.
- Scenes that glamorised or encouraged alcohol consumption, drug use or smoking were prohibited.
- Scenes that demeaned women were prohibited.
- Rape or other sexual violence was to be shown as minimally and non-graphically as possible, even when essential to the story.
- There was a ban on obscenity and double-entendre language.
- Derogatory content against religions, races and communities was prohibited.
- Content related to the country’s sovereignty, security, public order and relations with foreign countries was also prohibited.
What is the censor board?
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is also known as the censor board. It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The body certifies films made in India based on their content before their release. This certification is issued under the Cinematography Act, 1952.
The Indian Cinematography Act was enacted in 1920. At the time, the censor boards in Madras (Chennai), Bombay (Mumbai), Calcutta (Kolkata), Lahore (Pakistan) and Rangoon (Yangon, Burma) came under the police chief. Initially, the regional censors were independent.
After Independence, the regional censors were brought under the Bombay Board of Film Censors. Subsequently, after the Cinematograph Act came into force in 1952, the board was reorganised as the ‘Central Board of Film Censors’. In 1983, some changes were made to the Act related to the exhibition of films, and the institution was renamed the ‘Central Board of Film Certification’, or ‘CBFC’.
Does the CBFC have the power to ban a film?
Under the Cinematography Act, 1952, and the changes made to the Cinematography Rules in 1983, the censor board cannot ban a film. It can only refuse to grant the film a certificate. In such a situation, the film cannot be released in theatres.
In practical terms, this amounts to a ban. On 31 March 2022, the central government told the Rajya Sabha that the censor board cannot ban a film, but can refuse to grant a certificate if the film violates the guidelines under the Cinematography Act.
How does the CBFC work?
The CBFC, or the Censor Board, has a maximum of 68 days to certify a film. The film’s application is examined first, which takes one week. The film is then sent to the examining committee, which has 15 days to review it.
The examining committee sends the film to the Censor Board chairperson. The chairperson can take up to 10 days to examine the film. The Censor Board then informs the applicant about the required cuts and provides the certificate within 36 days.
Why is there confusion over the Censor Board’s name?
Speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, well-known Bollywood producer and former Central Board of Film Certification chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani said people are confused about the names “Central Board of Film Certification” and “Censor Board”. Nihalani said, “From the ministry to the public, there is confusion about what it should be called. During my tenure, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had created the impression in the industry that it was a central certification body, but it has still not been made clear whether CBFC stands for Central Board of Film Certification or Censor Board.”
