Gunjan Chaudhary
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has a brand-new team, and this time, the panel features some of the biggest names from Indian cinema, television, music and the arts. The Government of India has reconstituted the film certification board with 18 members, including Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Suniel Shetty, Rupali Ganguly and Pallavi Joshi. The new board has come into effect immediately and will serve for three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Pankaj Tripathi
Big Bollywood Names Enter the CBFC
The new panel brings together several familiar faces from the entertainment industry. Along with Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi and Suniel Shetty, the board includes Manoj Joshi, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Pallavi Joshi and Rupali Ganguly. Filmmaker Priyadarshan, Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej, singer and former parliamentarian Hansraj Hans, filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda and producer Supriya Yarlagadda are also part of the newly constituted board.
New CBFC
The complete list released by the government includes, Vinod Anupam, Manoj Joshi, Abhishek Jain, Ricky Kej, Priyadarshan, Suniel Shetty, Hansraj Hans, Supriya Yarlagadda, Yatindra Mishra, Rupali Ganguly, Preity Zinta, Nila Madhab Panda, Pankaj Tripathi, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Pallavi Joshi, Nishigandha Wad, Waman Kendre, and Ramesh Patange. The board will be led by CBFC Chairperson Shashi Shekhar Vempati. Let us tell you that the new panel isn’t limited to mainstream Bollywood. Its members represent Hindi and regional cinema, television, music, filmmaking, literature, film criticism and theatre.
Rupali Ganguly
Rupali Ganguly, best known for Anupamaa, brings television representation to the board, while Bengali cinema star Prosenjit Chatterjee adds a major regional-film presence. Pallavi Joshi, meanwhile, joins as an actor and producer. The panel also includes theatre director Waman Kendre and writer Ramesh Patange, who are the only two members retained from the previous board. Let us tell you that the CBFC is responsible for certifying films for public exhibition in India. The newly appointed members will therefore be part of the body overseeing film certification under the Cinematograph Act and the applicable certification rules.
Preity Zinta
The government’s notification states that the latest restructuring has been carried out under the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. The latest development is particularly notable because the CBFC had last been formally reconstituted in 2017. Members of the earlier board continued beyond that term until a fresh panel was appointed. With an entirely new 18-member panel now in place, Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Suniel Shetty, Rupali Ganguly, Pallavi Joshi and other prominent personalities will now have a role in India’s film-certification system, bringing a fresh mix of experience from across the country’s entertainment and creative industries.