I&B Ministry
MIB petitioned on pre-censorship of period cinematic content
NEW DELHI: If a fringe group from Rajasthan has its way, then period cinematic dramas may face pre-censorship, which sooner or later could also lead to government interventions for TV content that still doesn’t face much content regulations and pre-screening vetting.
Rajasthan’s Karni Sena wants pre- censorship of period films and plans to approach the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) in this regard. It had recently protested against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period film `Padmavati’ accusing him of presenting “distorted facts”, according to a PTI report.
“We are asking the I&B ministry about the pre-censorship of historic films. We are also hoping for some support from producer and director associations and in fact they are ready to give their support,” the PTI report quoted Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi as stating.
Karni Sena had stalled the shooting of the Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone starrer by vandalising the set at the Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur in the northern state of Rajasthan and also assaulted director Bhansali. The acts weren’t strongly condemned by either the State or the Central governments and MIB minister M. Venkaiah Naidu had made some vague statements about freedom of expression in seemingly limp support of the film industry.
“Our demands have been fulfilled by them (the film-makers of `Padmavati’). They have promised that they won’t show any kind of personal rapport between the actors in the movie (Rajput queen Padmavati and the then Muslim ruler in Delhi Allauddin Khilji),” Kalvi told PTI.
According to the report, Kalvi said his group will also try to hold discussion over pre-screening of all historic films to journalists and historians so there was “no distortion of history.”
TV and film industry observers opined that if the government capitulated to such pre-censorship of demands regarding films, it would be just a matter of time when similar demands would be made of historical and period serials aired on TV channels, the number of which are increasing on GECs.
Incidentally, the film `Padmavati’ is based on `Padmavat’, a celebrated fictional ballad written in the Awadhi dialect of Hindi by 16th-century Indian Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi. The plot revolved around the beautiful queen Padmavati, originally hailing from Sri Lanka, who married a Rajput prince and came to the then India that was made up of a plethora of independent and princely states and had to commit suicide by jumping into a pyre to save her honour from the Muslim ruler of Delhi Khilji who got besotted by her reported beauty and annihilated her husband’s kingdom.
As some critics have said, fiction is being turned into history in the 21st century India and artistic creativity was being stifled.
I&B Ministry
CBFC speeds up film certification; average approval time cut to 22 days
Over 71,900 films cleared in five years as digital system shortens approval timelines
MUMBAI: The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has significantly reduced the time taken to certify films, with the average approval timeline now down to 22 working days for feature films and just three days for short films.
Operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the statutory body certifies films for public exhibition in line with the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. The rules prescribe a maximum certification period of 48 working days, though the adoption of the Online Certification System has sharply accelerated the process.
Over the past five years, from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the board certified a total of 71,963 films across formats. Of these, the majority fell under the U category with 41,817 titles, followed by UA with 28,268 films and A with 1,878 films. No films were certified under the S category during the period.
Film approvals have also steadily risen in recent years. The CBFC cleared 8,299 films in 2020-21, a figure that peaked at 18,070 in 2022-23 before settling at 15,444 films in 2024-25. During the same period, 11,064 films were certified with cuts or modifications.
Despite the high volume of certifications, outright refusals remain rare. Only three films were denied certification over the last five years, with one refusal recorded in 2022-23 and two in 2024-25.
The board may recommend cuts or modifications if a film violates statutory parameters relating to the sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, defamation, contempt of court or incitement to an offence.
Filmmakers can challenge CBFC decisions in court. Data shows that such disputes remain limited but have seen some fluctuation. Between 2021 and 2025, a total of 21 certification decisions were challenged before High Courts, with the number rising to 10 cases in 2025.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan shared the data. The question was raised by Mallikarjun Kharge.
With faster timelines and a largely digital workflow, the certification process appears to be moving at a far brisker pace, signalling a shift towards quicker clearances for India’s growing film output.
