Centre Reconstitutes Central Board of Film Certification With 18 Members Including Preity Zinta and Pankaj Tripathi
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced a major overhaul of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) by appointing an 18-member board for a three-year term. This marks the first full reconstitution of the film certification body since August 2017, expanding the panel from its previous strength of 10 surviving members. The newly announced board brings together notable figures from across the Indian entertainment industry, including actors Preity Zinta, Suniel Shetty, Pankaj Tripathi, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Roopali Ganguly, as well as actor-producer Pallavi Joshi and filmmaker Priyadarshan. Grammy-winning music composer Ricky Kej and writer Yatindra Mishra have also been named to the panel.
According to government officials, the long-pending reconstitution was initiated as several positions had fallen vacant due to expired tenures and inactivity among past members. Under the Cinematograph Act of 1952, the CBFC board can consist of between 12 and 25 members alongside the chairperson. Retaining continuity, the ministry has kept returning members Waman Kendre and Ramesh Patange on the board. The reconstitution aims to streamline the film certification process and introduce diverse artistic perspectives from Hindi, South Indian, and regional cinema industries.
