| Central Board of Film Certification | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1952 |
| Type | Government Agency |
| Purpose/focus | Film |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, India |
| Region served | India |
| Chairperson | Leela Samson |
| Website | cbfcindia.gov.in |
The Central Board of Film Certification (popularly known as the Censor Board) is a Government of India regulatory body and censorship board of India controlled by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It reviews, rates and censors motion pictures, television shows, television ads, and promotional material. It regulates the public exhibition of films in India under the provisions of The Cinematograph Act 1952. [1] Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after certification by the Board.
According to the Supreme Court of India [2]:
| “ | Film censorship becomes necessary because a film motivates thought and action and assures a high degree of attention and retention as compared to the printed word. The combination of act and speech, sight and sound in semi darkness of the theatre with elimination of all distracting ideas will have a strong impact on the minds of the viewers and can affect emotions. Therefore, it has as much potential for evil as it has for good and has an equal potential to instill or cultivate violent or bad behaviour. It cannot be equated with other modes of communication. Censorship by prior restraint is, therefore, not only desirable but also necessary | ” |
Contents |
Cinema came to India in 1896 when the first show at Watson hotel, Bombay (now Mumbai) by Lumière Brothers was presented in July.[3] •The Cinematograph Act 1909 of England was initialized. The act basically covered strict requirements for fire-safety of theatres. The film then in use was made from the highly flammable cellulose nitrate base. Combined with limelight illumination, this created a significant safety hazard, resulting in a number of fatal fires.[4]
As the first film in India (Raja Harishchandra) was produced in 1913 by Dadasaheb Phalke, Indian Cinematograph Act was passed and came into effect only in 1920. Censor Boards (as they were called then) were placed under police chiefs in cities of Madras (now Chennai), Bombay (now Mumbai), Calcutta (now Kolkatta), Lahore (now Lahore in Pakistan) and Rangoon (now Yangon in Burma). and Regional censors were independent. After Independence autonomy of regional censors was abolished and they were brought under Censor Board, Bombay with implementation of Cinematograph Act, 1952. Cinematograph (Certification) Rules were revised in 1983 and since then the Censor Board became Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). [5]
The CBFC currently issues the following certificates.
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| U | Universal | All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children. Films under this category should not upset children over 4. This rating is similar to the MPAA's G, the BBFC's U, and the OFLC's G ratings. |
| U/A | Parental Guidance | All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 12. This rating is similar to the MPAA's PG-13, the BBFC's 12A, and the OFLC's PG and M ratings. |
| A | Adults Only | Only adults are admitted.
Nobody younger than 18 may rent or buy an A-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and strong violence/sex references along with non-detailed sexual activity is also allowed. This rating is similar to the MPAA's R and NC-17, the BBFC's 18, and the OFLC's MA and R ratings. |
| S | Restricted to any special class of persons | This rating signifies that the film is meant for a specialised audience, such as doctors. |
U/A and S certificates were introduced in 1983.
The Board consist of non-official members and a Chairperson (all of whom are appointed by Central Government). Bharatnatyam dancer, Leela Samson presently presides the Board after Sharmila Tagore[6] [7] who was the longest continuous running Chairperson in the history. Samson is now the 26th Chairperson after the Board's establishment.
The Board functions with its headquarters at Mumbai. It has nine Regional offices each at:
The Regional Offices are assisted in the examination of films by Advisory Panels. The members of the panels are nominated by Central Government by drawing people from different walks of life for a period of 2 years.
| Sr. No. | Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C.S. Aggarwal | 15-01-1951 | 14-06-1954 |
| 2 | B.D. Mirchandani | 15-06-1954 | 09-06-1955 |
| 3 | M.D. Bhatt | 10-06-1955 | 21-11-1959 |
| 4 | D.L. Kothari | 22-11-1959 | 24-03-1960 |
| 5 | B.D. Mirchandani | 25-03-1960 | 01-11-1960 |
| 6 | D.L. Kothari | 02-11-1960 | 22-04-1965 |
| 7 | B.P. Bhatt | 23-04-1965 | 22-04-1968 |
| 8 | R.P. Nayak | 23-04-1968 | 15-11-1969 |
| 9 | M.V. Desai | 12-12-1969 | 19-10-1970 |
| 10 | R. Srinivasan | 20-10-1970 | 15-11-1971 |
| 11 | Virendra Vyas | 11-02-1972 | 30-06-1976 |
| 12 | K.L. Khandpur | 01-07-1976 | 31-01-1981 |
| 13 | Hrishikesh Mukherjee | 01-02-1981 | 10-08-1982 |
| 14 | Aparna Mohile | 11-08-1982 | 14-03-1983 |
| 15 | Sharad Upasani | 15-03-1983 | 09-05-1983 |
| 16 | Surresh Mathur | 10-05-1983 | 07-07-1983 |
| 17 | Vikram Singh | 08-07-1983 | 19-02-1989 |
| 18 | Moreshwar Vanmali | 20-02-1989 | 25-04-1990 |
| 19 | B.P.Singhal | 25-04-1990 | 01-04-1991 |
| 20 | Shakti Samanta | 01-04-1991 | 25-06-1998 |
| 21 | Asha Parekh | 25-06-1998 | 25-09-2001 |
| 22 | Vijay Anand[8] | 26-09-2001 | 19-07-2002 |
| 23 | Arvind Trivedi | 20-07-2002 | 16-10-2003 |
| 24 | Anupam Kher[9] | 16-10-2003 | 13-10-2004 |
| 25 | Sharmila Tagore[10] | 13-10-2004 | 31-03-2011 |
| 26 | Leela Samson | 01-04-2011 | Till Date |