The Government of India has reconstituted the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with 18 members. Actors Preity Zinta, Suniel Shetty, Pankaj Tripathi and Rupali Ganguly are among the names on the new
board. Filmmaker Priyadarshan and musician Ricky Kej are also part of the 18-member board.
Preity Zinta, Suniel Shetty Join 18-Member CBFC Board
The new board has been constituted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the Cinematograph Act. Its tenure will be three years or until further orders.
Who are the 18 members?
The members named to the reconstituted CBFC are:
- Preity Zinta
- Suniel Shetty
- Rupali Ganguly
- Pallavi Joshi
- Pankaj Tripathi
- Prosenjit Chatterjee
- Vinod Anupam
- Manoj Joshi
- Abhishek Jain
- Ricky Kej
- Priyadarshan
- Hansraj Hans
- Supriya Yarlagadda
- Yatindra Mishra
- Neela Madhab Panda
- Nishigandha Wad
- Waman Kendre
- Ramesh Patange
The list includes people associated with films, television, music, theatre and other creative fields.
Speaking about the reconstitution of the CBFC, an I&B Ministry official told NDTV, “The reconstitution had been pending for some time, with some members of the previous board no longer active and the terms of some others having passed away.”
Who Heads The CBFC?
Shashi Shekhar Vempati is the CBFC chairperson. Soon after the new list of CBFC members was released, he shared it on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Congratulations and welcome to the new Board Members of @CBFC_Bharat.”
Congratulations and welcome to the new Board Members of @CBFC_Bharat https://t.co/FkCAKRk3Vf
— Shashi Shekhar Vempati शशि शेखर वेम्पटि (@shashidigital) September 16, 2026
The reconstitution comes shortly after the CBFC held a board meeting following a gap of six years. That meeting was held under Vempati and reportedly discussed issues linked to film certification and Revising Committees.
Why Is The Reconstitution Significant?
The timing is notable because the CBFC had not formally reconstituted its board since 2017, while its members’ normal tenure is three years.
What Does The CBFC Do?
The CBFC is responsible for certifying films for public exhibition in India. The board works through the certification system laid down under the Cinematograph Act and the applicable rules.
