Here is all you need to know about the newly designed Censor Certificate
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 4, 2020
The CBFC or the Censor board has recently unveiled a new design of the censor certificate. But what is new about this certificate? Here is a detailed explainer.
Of late, have you observed anything different in the CBFCcertificate (censor certificate) displayed before the movie? If not, payattention at the theatres next time. The Central Board of FilmCertification (CBFC) has introduced a
new design of the censor certificate.
But how is the certification done, what the guidelines are and how is the new certificate different? Here is a detailed explainer.
Cinema has a strong impact on society and individuals. Some content may not be relevant to all types of audiences. Moreover, the impression created on a child’s mind by certain type of content must also be considered. Thus, it is necessary for a body like the CBFC to preview the content and accord a relevant certificate. The certificate decides who all can watch the movie and whether the movie could be open for universal public viewing.
Cinematograph Act, 1952 constituted the Central Board
of Film Certification
The CBFC, which is commonly referred to as the ‘Censor Board’ is constituted under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The guidelines for certifying movies are provided in this act and in the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983. These guidelines are revised from time to time.
Initially, only two categories were listed- ‘U’ for unrestricted public exhibition and ‘A’ for exhibition restricted to an adult audience, that is, those above 18 years of age. Later, in June 1983, two more categories were added- ‘UA’ which called for parental guidance for children below 12 years of age and ‘S’ for exhibition restricted to specialized audiences such as doctors and scientists.
CBFC must ensure that no offensive content is present
in the movie
As per the Cinematograph act, a movie must not be certified by the boardif any part of it is against the interest of sovereignty and integrity ofIndia, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, publicorder, decency or involves defamation or contempt of court or is likely toincite commission of any offence.
As per the act & relevant rules, CBFC must also ensure that the film is sensitive to values and standards of society. The medium of film must provide clean and healthy entertainment. Artistic expression and creative freedom should not be unduly curbed and antisocial activities must not be glorified or justified in the movies- be it alcohol consumption or smoking. Scenes involving sexual violence against women including rape, attempt to rape, or molestation must be avoided or should be reduced to a minimum. Making fun of physically and mentally challenged persons must also be avoided. Visuals or words which promote communal, obscurantist, anti-scientific and anti-national attitude should not be presented.
Not only movies but the material used for publicity such as trailers and posters should also be previewed by the board. Even the video and CD versions of film require certification. Only certified movies can be screened in theatres and be shown on cable TV.
Time limit for the whole process of certification is 68 days
In order to get a movie certified for public exhibition, the applicantmust submit a form, fees, requisite documents and film material to concernedregional centre of CBFC. The process is now made simpler and the applicationcan be submitted online along with the requisite fees.
An examining committee is then set up with a CBFC member and an advisorypanel member, either of whom shall be a woman, for short films. For featurefilms, a committee of four members is set up with at least two women. Allmembers submit their reports to the chairperson after previewing the movie whomay refer it to a revision committee on his own or as per the applicant’srequest. It is the duty of the applicant to make the edits if any as suggestedby CBFC. In case the applicant is not satisfied with the board’s order, theycan appeal to Film Certification Appellate Tribunal. The Cinematograph rulesprescribe 68 days for the whole process.
New logo and film certificate were unveiled in August
2019
On 31 August
2019, the new logo of CBFC and the new designof the film certificate were unveiled. The chairman of the board, PrasoonJoshi, who is also an eminent lyricist stated that the new certificate had tobe interactive and should reflect the modern digital world. The implementationof the new certificate design across the nine regional offices of the board wasannounced on 9 January 2020 through
a press release. The new logo of CBFC unveiled in August2019 is given below.
Certificate
must be shown for a minimum 10 seconds before the film is screened
Thefollowing information is given on the certificate issued by the CBFC.
Thecertificate may also contain a triangle symbol which indicates that certainedits (cuts) were made to the movie. This symbol is absent for those movieswhere no edits are made.
All thisinformation is available in Part-1 of the certificate. Part-2 of the certificateis usually available only for movies with suggested cuts or edits. It ismandatory that part-1 of the certificate be shown on screen for at least 10seconds before the movie is screened. Both parts of the certificate must alsobe displayed prominently in the theatre lobby.
New certificate comes with a QR code that redirects
users to CBFC website
The new certificate is simple, user-friendly, and more visually appealing. Unlike the old certificate, the new one comes with a QR code which the audience can scan using their smartphones to get more details on basic certification of the movie in the CBFC’s website. If a triangle is present near the QR code, it indicates a suggestion of cuts to the movie.
Thefollowing is the sample
certificate of the Hindi dubbed version of RobertDowney Jr.’s movie Dolittle, as given in the board’s website. This movie,however, did not have any cuts.
The basic certification details on the website include the film name, language, duration, applicant name (who applied for certification), producers, name of the signatory (here, Prasoon Joshi), and name of EO (Examining officer) or PO (Presiding Officer) as explained earlier.
Below is the new certificate of a Telugu moviereleased recently. Edits (cuts) were suggested to this movie and hence one seesa triangle symbol on the certificate.
Further, one gets access to three more links-
Apart from this, one also has the option to check out allthe edits (cuts) made in the movie or from its trailer as per the censorboard’s orders.
All these details can also be accessed from the CBFCwebsite’s search
section.
Violation of rules can be reported
Penal enforcement of the provisions of the Cinematograph act falls under the purview of State. However, at times, it is possible that some forms of violation go unchecked. To tackle this problem, the board has empowered the audience to report violations of film certification rules directly to the CEO of CBFC. The list of violations is also available on the website. A few instances of violation include exhibition of a movie to those restricted, insertion of scenes which were banned, or even screening of scenes that were not shown to the board at the time of preview. The penalty for violation involves a fine and/or imprisonment based on the offence.