CBFC Gets New Board: Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Suniel Shetty, Ricky Kej & Priyadarshan Among 18 Appointed Panels; Full List

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been reconstituted with an 18-member board featuring several prominent names from the Indian entertainment industry, including actors Preity Zinta, Suniel Shetty, Pankaj Tripathi and Manoj Joshi, along with filmmaker Priyadarshan and musician Ricky Kej. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced the appointments on Wednesday, September 16, with the new members taking charge with immediate effect for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

Meet The New 18-Member CBFC Board

The newly reconstituted Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) features 18 members from diverse fields, including cinema, television, music, literature and the arts. The panel includes actors Manoj Joshi, Suniel Shetty, Roopali Ganguly, Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Pallavi Joshi, along with filmmaker Priyadarshan, musician Ricky Kej, lyricist Yatindra Mishra, filmmaker Neela Madhab Panda and theatre personality Waman Kendre. The full list also includes Vinod Anupam, Abhishek Jain, Hansraj Hans, Supriya Yarlagadda, Nishigandha Wad and Ramesh Patange.

The reconstitution comes at a time when the Central Board of Film Certification has faced renewed scrutiny over prolonged certification battles involving several films. One of the most prominent recent cases was Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj, earlier titled Punjab ’95, which remained stuck in the certification process for years after the makers were reportedly asked to make multiple modifications. The number of proposed cuts eventually rose from 21 to 127, according to reports.

Other films, including Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, Santosh, Homebound and Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie, have also faced certification-related controversies, ranging from delayed clearances and requested modifications to disputes over certification categories.