Shashi Shekhar Vempati Appointed New CBFC Chairman

Shashi Shekhar Vempati has been appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated that Mr. Vempati will hold this position for a period of three years from the date of assuming charge.

Mr. Vempati has extensive experience in the field of media, broadcasting and mass communication. He will replace Prasoon Joshi as the new Chairman of the CBFC. Mr. Prasoon Joshi, a well-known screenwriter and lyricist who has also worked in the field of advertising, had been leading the CBFC since 2017 before his appointment to the public broadcaster (Prasar Bharati) on 2 May.

Mr. Vempati served as the CEO of Prasar Bharati from 2017 to 2022, after which he worked in various positions at the University Grants Commission (UGC), television rating agency BARC, and the Department of Science and Technology.

Recently, he had been running a platform called AI4India, where discussions were held on promoting the domestic AI ecosystem. He is also part of the board of BharatGen; an initiative launched by IIT Bombay that is working on AI models focused on Indian languages. Mr. Joshi’s tenure at the CBFC is known for digitisation efforts, which resulted in the e-Cinepramaan system. This system is used by censor board officials to process applications and issue certificates. 

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)

The Central Board of Film Censors was established on 15 January, 1951 in Mumbai. On 1 June, 1983, the name of this body was changed to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Year 2023-2024: In November, 2024, the Cinematograph Amendment Bill (2023) and new certificate categories (U/A 7+, 13+, 16+) were introduced to further improve age-based classification.

It regulates public film exhibition under the Cinematograph Act 1952, and has moved away from British-era regional police censorship towards a unified national certification system. Its headquarters is in Mumbai, and it has nine regional offices in various cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. Categories: The board issues U (Unrestricted), U/A (Under Parental Guidance), A (Adults Only), and S (Specialised) certificates.