The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) age-based certification system needs to be updated, and there needs to be consistency in the classification of movies and content across platforms. On Monday, the Lok Sabha passed a bill to address these issues.
Despite objections from members of the opposition parties regarding the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 was approved by voice vote in the Lok Sabha. On July 27, the Rajya Sabha approved the Bill. The government will work to stop piracy through this Bill, according to Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur. In support of the Bill, Thakur said, “Piracy is like cancer and we are trying to uproot it through this Bill. It has provisions to curb transmission of pirated film content on the internet and to classify films based on age group, instead of the current practice of “U,” “A,” and “UA.”
“U” is for unrestricted public exhibition and “A” is restricted to adult audiences, while “UA” is for unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of 12 and “S” for special category audiences such as doctors and scientists.
The Bill seeks amendment to the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The amendments will address the issue of unauthorised recording and exhibition of films.