From anti-national to offensive content: What are CBFC's new film rules?

The CBFC has revised its film certification guidelines, setting out new rules on what films can show and how they will be classified for different age groups

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has introduced revised guidelines for certifying films in India, with fresh emphasis on content that could be considered harmful to social values, national interests or public safety.

 

The updated rules say films should remain “responsible and sensitive to the values and standards of society”.

 

The CBFC is the statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that examines films meant for public exhibition and grants certificates under the applicable laws and rules.

 

What do the new CBFC guidelines say?

 

The revised guidelines put restrictions on the portrayal of violence, criminal activity and content that could encourage offences in the real world. Films cannot glorify violence or show the modus operandi of criminals in a way that could facilitate or encourage crime.

 

 

Two provisions in the guidelines are particularly notable. One bars content that promotes a “communal, obscurantist, anti-scientific or anti-national attitude”. Another says films must not “strain India’s friendly relations with foreign states".

 

The provision relating to friendly relations with foreign countries has already become relevant in a recent film-certification case. Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s war drama Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace, earlier titled Galwan Attack, is based on the 2020 India-China military clash. The film has reportedly faced a delay in obtaining CBFC certification over its depiction of China-related content.

 

Drugs, violence and sensitive subjects

 

The guidelines also lay down specific requirements for scenes involving narcotics and psychotropic substances. Any scene showing their consumption, use or trafficking must carry the statutory warning: “Illicit Narcotics Destroy Health and Guarantees Imprisonment. Say No To Drugs”.

 

The framework also cautions against content that could hurt the sentiments or sensibilities of people. It includes restrictions and safeguards around the depiction of child abuse and crimes against women. Violence that is not necessary for the story is also discouraged.

 

What are the new film certificate categories?

 

Under the revised framework, films can receive one of six certificates: U, UA, UA 7+, UA 13+, UA 16+ or A.

 

The U certificate is meant for unrestricted public viewing, while films that may not be suitable for younger viewers can receive a UA certificate with an age-based classification. The UA categories allow films to be viewed by younger audiences with parental guidance at the specified age levels. The A certificate is reserved for adult audiences.

 

Why are film titles also under scrutiny?

 

The revised guidelines specifically direct the board to examine film titles and reject those considered “provocative, vulgar or offensive”.

 

This issue has already surfaced in a recent certification dispute. The CBFC had initially objected to the title of the 2025 Malayalam film Janaki vs State of Kerala, reportedly because Janaki, a name associated with Goddess Sita, was used for a character who survives sexual assault. The matter reached the Kerala High Court, which questioned the objection, pointing to the use of names associated with deities in several existing films. The title was eventually retained.

 

How do the new rules differ from the 1991 framework?

 

The revised guidelines build on rules that have been in place, in some form, since 1991. However, an Expert Committee headed by filmmaker Shyam Benegal had proposed a significant change in how the CBFC should function.

 

The committee was set up by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in January 2016. It said some objectives in the 1991 guidelines, including requiring films to be “sensitive to the values of society” and provide “clean and healthy entertainment”, went beyond the CBFC’s role.

 

The committee recommended that the board function primarily as a certification body rather than an authority that routinely demands cuts to films.

 

It also suggested dividing the UA category into UA 12+ and UA 15+. The present structure of UA 7+, UA 13+ and UA 16+ follows a similar age-based approach.

 

What does the current CBFC look like?

 

The CBFC currently has an 18-member board reconstituted by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Its members include actors and personalities from the Indian film industry, including Pankaj Tripathi, Preity Zinta and Rupali Ganguly.

 

The board has also seen a change in leadership. Former Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati was appointed CBFC chairperson in May 2026, succeeding Prasoon Joshi.

 

What other laws apply to film certification?

 

The CBFC guidelines operate alongside several existing laws and regulations. These include the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995; rules governing tobacco advertising under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003; the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986; and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, among others.

 

These laws are not part of the new guidelines, but they continue to apply when the CBFC examines films for certification.