CINEMATOGRAPH (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2023 – POLITY
News: More
age-appropriate ratings for films soon
What's in the news?
● The
Union Cabinet on April 19 cleared the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023
which has provisions for harsher punishments for film piracy and the
introduction of new age categories for classifying films.
Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023:
Aim:
● To
bring about uniformity in categorisation
of films and content across platforms.
● To
harmonize the law with executive orders and various Supreme Court judgements,
to achieve consistency.
Key Provisions:
Re-examine by central government:
● It
also allowed the government to order the Central Board of Film Certification
(CBFC) to re-examine films that have already been cleared for exhibition.
Age ratings:
● CBFC
would be able to provide more age classifications when certifying films.
● Only three categories
currently exist for mainstream films - U for
unrestricted exhibition, U/A for films that can be viewed by minors with adult
supervision, and A for films that can only be viewed for adults.
● The
draft Bill expanded the U/A category to
U/A 7+, U/A 13+ and U/A 16+.
● These
ratings may allow filmmakers to address mature themes without attracting an A
certificate.
Includes streaming services:
● The
IT Rules, 2021 already require
streaming services to use these age classifications with content descriptors.
Punishment:
● A
draft version of the Bill provided for up to three years of imprisonment and
₹10 lakh penalty for those who engaged in film piracy.
Go back to basics:
Shyam Benegal Committee:
● An
expert committee led by filmmaker Shyam Benegal in 2017 recommended the expansion of age ratings.
Further Reference - CBFC