India Reconstitutes Film Certification Board with New Panel

The Indian government has reconstituted the Central Board of Film Certification with an 18-member panel, effective immediately for a three-year term. The move, notified by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on September 16, 2026, ends a six-year lapse since the board was last formally reconstituted in August 2017. The new board includes prominent film personalities such as actors Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Suniel Shetty, and Roopali Ganguly, filmmaker Priyadarshan, and Grammy-winning musician Ricky Kej. It is chaired by Shashi Shekhar Vempati, who was appointed in May 2026, replacing Prasoon Joshi. The reconstitution was carried out under Section 31 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and Rule 3 of the Cinematograph Certification Rules, 2024. Among the members, five are women. The panel also features filmmakers Priyadarshan, Abhishek Jain, and Nila Madhab Panda, producer Supriya Yarlagadda, singer and former parliamentarian Hansraj Hans, film critic Vinod Anupam, poet Yatindra Mishra, theatre director Waman Kendre, and writer Ramesh Patange. Kendre and Patange are the only members retained from the previous board.