Government reshuffles CBFC, brings in Pankaj Tripathi and Preity Zinta

NEW DELHI: Bollywood and the bureaucracy have just found fresh common ground. The government has reconstituted the Central Board of Film Certification with immediate effect, and the new lineup reads like a genuine cross-section of Indian cinema and culture rather than a predictable roll call of committee regulars. The board will serve for three years, or until further orders, whichever comes first, under powers granted by the Cinematograph Act, 1952, read with the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024.

The 18-member board is a deliberately eclectic mix. On the acting front, Suniel Shetty, Pankaj Tripathi, Preity Zinta, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Manoj Joshi, Roopali Ganguly and Pallavi Joshi bring decades of screen experience and, crucially, an insider’s feel for how censorship decisions actually land on a film set. Filmmakers Priyadarshan and Neela Madhab Panda add directorial perspective, while Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej brings a rare musical voice to a body that has traditionally leaned heavily on acting and writing talent.

The rest of the board rounds out the picture nicely. Vinod Anupam and Yatindra Mishra bring literary and critical sensibilities, Abhishek Jain and Nishigandha Wad add regional cinema expertise, Waman Kendre contributes a theatre background as a former National School of Drama director, and Hansraj Hans, Supriya Yarlagadda and Ramesh Patange bring cultural and industry breadth from music, production and civic engagement respectively.

What stands out is the balance the government appears to have struck, between mainstream star power and quieter, discipline-specific expertise, between Hindi cinema heavyweights and regional voices, and between performers and behind-the-camera professionals. A certification board stacked purely with bureaucrats tends to lose touch with how films are actually made and watched, while one stacked purely with celebrities risks losing procedural rigour. This lineup, at least on paper, looks like it is trying to avoid both traps.

The notification was issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 16 September 2026, and the board takes charge with immediate effect. For an industry that regularly finds itself at odds with its certifying authority, a board with this much lived film experience embedded in it could make for a more informed, if not necessarily less contentious, three years ahead.