Preity Zinta among 18 members of reconstituted Indian film certification board

India has reconstituted its Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), with actress Preity Zinta among 18 new members appointed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The ministry announced the new board on Wednesday (September 16), with its tenure set at three years or until further orders, whichever comes earlier.

The new panel includes actors Pankaj Tripathi, Suniel Shetty, Manoj Joshi and Prosenjit Chatterjee, along with filmmaker Priyadarshan, Grammy-winning musician Ricky Kej, actors Rupali Ganguly and Pallavi Joshi, and theatre personality Waman Kendre.

The full list also includes Vinod Anupam, Abhishek Jain, Hans Raj Hans, Supriya Yarlagadda, Jatindra Mishra, Neela Madhab Panda, Nishigandha Wad and Ramesh Patange.

The board has been reconstituted under Section 3 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. The move changes the board’s membership but does not alter the existing legal framework governing film certification.

The CBFC is responsible for certifying films before their public release in India. The certification process has been digitised through an online system, while the government said in February that the average processing time for feature films had fallen to 18 working days, against a prescribed maximum of 48 working days.

The reconstitution comes amid recurring public debate in India over film certification, content cuts and the functioning of the CBFC. The new members will continue to operate within the existing laws and certification rules.

In May, the government appointed Shashi Shekhar Vempati as the CBFC chairman.