Govt reconstitutes CBFC after 9 years; Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi on board

The government on Wednesday appointed 18 members to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), reconstituting the film certification body for the first time in nine years.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday named 18 members, including actors Suniel Shetty, Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi and Prosenjit Chatterjee; filmmaker Priyadarshan; musician Ricky Kej; and television actor Roopali Ganguly.

Several members of the previous board, including Waman Kendre and Ramesh Patange, have also been retained.

Under the Cinematograph Act 1952, CBFC must have between 12 and 25 members excluding the chairperson.

Wednesday’s announcement comes months after the government appointed Shashi Shekhar Vempati as CBFC chairperson in May, succeeding Prasoon Joshi following his appointment as Prasar Bharati chairperson.

Poet and author Yatindra Mishra, scion of Ayodhya’s erstwhile royal family, is also part of the new board. Mishra is the son of the late Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, who also served as a trustee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Last rejig in 2017

The film certification board was last reconstituted in August 2017 with Prasoon Joshi as chairperson and 12 other members for three years. Of the 12, two subsequently died - Narendra Kohli in 2021 and Neil Herbert Nongkynrih in 2022 - leaving 10 surviving members.

The government did not appoint replacements for the two vacancies that were created due to the deaths in 2021 and 2022.

A government official told HT that while 10 members remained on the board, only a few were actively involved in its functioning, making a broader reconstitution necessary.

“Members are usually asked before they are made part of the board,” the official said, adding that the new 18-member composition makes it a “full-fledged board”.

A government order said the 18 members were being appointed for a three-year term.