The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), popularly known as India’s Censor Board, has a fresh new look. On September 16, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced an 18-member panel to run the board for the next three years, and the list is packed with familiar Bollywood faces.
Who Are the New Members?
Leading the star power on the panel are actors Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Suniel Shetty, Rupali Ganguly, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Pallavi Joshi and Manoj Joshi. Filmmaker Priyadarshan and Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej also make the cut, alongside names from television, literature, music and theatre such as Vinod Anupam, Abhishek Jain, Hans Raj Hans, Supriya Yarlagadda, Yatindra Mishra, Neela Madhab Panda, Nishigandha Wad, Waman Kendre and Ramesh Patange. The board continues to be headed by CBFC chairperson Shashi Shekhar Vempati.
DON'T MISS
Interestingly, only two members from the previous panel, Waman Kendre and Ramesh Patange, have been retained this time around, meaning the CBFC is largely getting a fresh set of decision-makers.
Why This Matters for Bollywood
The CBFC is the statutory body responsible for certifying every film released in India, deciding whether it gets a U, UA, A or S rating before it can hit theatres. This new board takes charge at an important moment. The previous panel’s three-year term had technically ended more than six years ago, with members continuing informally in the interim. The reconstitution comes just weeks after the CBFC held its first formal board meeting in six years on August 29, where issues like certification delays and how review committees are formed were discussed.
With prominent actors and creative professionals now part of the panel, there is renewed hope within the industry that certification decisions will reflect a better understanding of storytelling and audience sensibilities, rather than being purely bureaucratic.
What Happens Next
The new members have taken charge with immediate effect and will serve for three years, or until the government decides otherwise. As per the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024, the board is required to meet at least once every quarter, so audiences and filmmakers alike can expect more regular engagement from the CBFC going forward.
For now, the appointment of stars like Zinta, Tripathi and Shetty has generated buzz across the film fraternity, with many seeing it as a positive step toward a more industry-aware certification process.
