Notified by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on September 16 under the Cinematograph Act, the new rules make anti-drug warnings mandatory in films depicting narcotics, while also reiterating restrictions on violence, sensitive subjects and content that could affect India’s relations with other countries. The changes come alongside the Centre’s reconstitution of the CBFC with a new 18-member board. India’s film certification rules are changing again, with the Central Board of Film Certification ( CBFC ) bringing in a set of revised guidelines for what can be shown on screen and how certain subjects should be handled.
The film, centred on the 2020 India-China military clash, has reportedly been awaiting certification amid concerns linked to its China-related content. Because what is even this. The delay comes at a time when India and China have been working towards improving bilateral relations. One of the biggest changes is the introduction of a mandatory warning for films that show the consumption, use or trafficking of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. Such scenes will now have to carry the on-screen message: “Illicit Narcotics Destroy Health and Guarantees Imprisonment. Say No to Drugs. Until now, the CBFC rules focused on ensuring that films did not promote, justify or glamorise drug addiction. There was no standard warning that filmmakers were required to put up when drugs appeared on screen. The revised guidelines now make that warning an official requirement for certification. The change comes soon after similar advisories were issued for OTT platforms and private satellite television channels. The CBFC is also expected to pay closer attention to film titles under the revised guidelines. A fourth user took a broader view of the changes, writing, “Actually, calling them guidelines seems insincere; edicts would be a better word. Call yourself the Central Board of Film Censorship. A protest, an open letter. Something. The panel also features filmmaker Neela Madhab Panda, actor Manoj Joshi, singer and former parliamentarian Hans Raj Hans, producer Supriya Yarlagadda, poet Yatindra Mishra, actors Roopali Ganguly and Nishigandha Wad, theatre director Waman Kendre and writer Ramesh Patange.
Titles that are seen as “provocative, vulgar or offensive” can be flagged by the board. Another user said, “Ideally conscientious artists in the country should respond unkindly to this.
This particular provision is likely to draw attention in the case of Salman Khan ‘s war drama Maatrubhumi : May War Rest in Peace, earlier titled Galwan Attack.
