Shashi Shekhar Vempati appointed as new CBFC chairperson

• Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of the Prasar Bharati, was appointed as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) by the government on May 6.

• He shall hold office for a period of three years from the date of joining.

• Vempati will succeed Prasoon Joshi, who has been appointed as the chairman of the Prasar Bharati. 

• An alumnus of the IIT Bombay, Vempati is an author and also the co-founder of the AI4India Org, which works towards democratising access to Artificial Intelligence technology.

• Joshi served as the CBFC chairperson for over eight years. 

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)

• The CBFC is a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952.

• Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after they have been certified by CBFC.

• CBFC certifies films as per the Cinematograph Act, 1952, the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024 and the guidelines issued thereunder under the categories U, UA with UA marker, A and S, as applicable, and prevents dissemination of harmful content through scrutiny at the certification stage, including directions for excisions or modifications wherever required. 

• The ratings are U, UA (UA 7+, UA 13+ and UA 16+), A and S.

• U - Unrestricted public exhibition.

• A - Restricted to adult audiences.

• UA - Unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children.

• S - Restricted to specialised audiences such as doctors or scientists.

• The Board consists of non-official members and a chairman — all of whom are appointed by the central government — and functions with headquarters at Mumbai.

• It has nine regional offices, one each at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Cuttack and Guwahati.

• The regional offices are assisted in the examination of films by advisory panels. 

• The members of the panels are nominated by the central government by drawing people from different walks of life for a period of two years.

• There is a Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) which has been constituted under section 5D of the 1952 Act for hearing appeals against any order of the CBFC. This tribunal is based in New Delhi.