Revised Film Certification Guidelines Add a Drug Warning and Keep UA 7+, 13+ and 16+

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has notified revised guidelines for film certification, the framework that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) applies when it classifies films in India. The revision sets out age-based UA categories that were already in place, and adds a statutory warning for scenes involving drugs, and it sets rules on violence, smoking and communal or anti-national content.

The notification was issued under Section 5B(2) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, but the reports differ on its date: Storyboard18 gives 16 September 2026 and India TV News gives 18 September. They also differ on whether the change replaces the rules notified on 6 December 1991. Storyboard18, India TV News and Vision IAS say the new guidelines replace that framework. ThePrint says they build on it rather than replacing it entirely. Storyboard18's headline places the change after 35 years.

Five or Six Categories, and Three Age Markers

ThePrint lists six designations: U, UA, UA 7+, UA 13+, UA 16+ and A. It describes the UA sub-bands as available where some parental guidance is warranted. Vision IAS lists five categories, U, UA 7+, UA 13+, UA 16+ and A, with no separate UA entry. India TV News also lists an S category, which neither ThePrint nor Vision IAS includes.

India TV News says the UA categories allow parents or guardians to make an informed decision about whether a film is appropriate for children in the specified age groups.

Films are judged as a whole. Vision IAS says the guidelines assess a film in its entirety, from the point of view of its overall impact. India TV News reports that each film is evaluated in its entirety, considering its context, the period it depicts and contemporary standards, rather than isolating individual scenes.

A Statutory Warning for Drug Use, and Limits on Smoking

Scenes showing the consumption, use or trafficking of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances must carry a statutory warning. The text reads 'Illicit Narcotics Destroy Health and Guarantees Imprisonment. Say No to Drugs.' Vision IAS calls the requirement a statutory disclaimer, and ThePrint and India TV News both report the warning in substantially the same words.

Storyboard18 reports that scenes which encourage, justify or glamorise tobacco consumption or smoking are prohibited. It also says scenes justifying alcohol consumption are barred.

Violence, Children, Animals and Obscenity

Storyboard18 reports that anti-social activity and violence must be neither glorified nor justified. The restricted content it lists includes depictions of criminal methods, scenes in which children are victims or perpetrators of violence, abuse of disabled people, and violence, cruelty and horror that is pointless or avoidable.

Vision IAS says the guidelines prohibit child abuse and mention children in violence (as victims, perpetrators or forced witnesses). It also says the guidelines prohibit animal cruelty, and lists the abuse or ridicule of people with physical or mental disabilities. India TV News reports the same limits on unnecessary depictions of child abuse, animal cruelty and people with disabilities.

On obscenity, Storyboard18 reports that dual-meaning words catering to baser instincts are not permitted. Scenes degrading or denigrating women are prohibited. Scenes of adult violence against women should be avoided and, where germane to the theme, reduced to the minimum with no details shown.

Communal, Anti-National and Foreign Relations Content

ThePrint reports that the guidelines bar material promoting communal, obscurantist, anti-scientific or anti-national attitudes. Films must also avoid content that strains India's friendly relations with foreign states. Vision IAS says the existing provisions on communal content and national security remain in place.

India TV News says the framework continues to address communal or anti-national sentiment, public order and national security. Vision IAS adds that national symbols must comply with the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950. ThePrint also reports that titles cannot be provocative, vulgar or offensive.

Films are judged as a whole, not scene by scene.

The May 2026 Amendment and the Priority Scheme

The Cinematograph (Certification) Amendment Rules, 2026 were notified by the MIB as G.S.R. 385(E), and both TeamLease RegTech and SCC Online give 22 May 2026 as the effective date. SCC Online gives 20 May as the notification date, while TeamLease gives 22 May.

SCC Online describes the priority scheme that the amendment removed. It allowed a filmmaker to pay three times the standard examination fee to have a film examined, preferably within five days, subject to available examination slots set by the CBFC.

The amendment removed the priority provision from rule 33. In rule 37 it deleted language that allowed Regional Officers to change the order of examination for a payment under the priority scheme, according to SCC Online. TeamLease describes the rule 37 change as the deletion of a proviso to sub-rule (3), and says rule 33 lost a sub-rule on examination and certification fees.

SCC Online describes the result as ending the paid route to an earlier examination. TeamLease says rule 33 still provides that fees are charged as prescribed through the e-Cinepramaan portal, and that rule 37 sets the deadlines for the CBFC to complete certification once it receives complete applications.

A Board Reconstitution, and What Filmmakers Are Asked to Do

IAS Point, dated 17 September 2026, reports that the Central Government has reconstituted the CBFC. It says the board has 18 members serving three-year terms under the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. The Central Government appoints the chairperson and other members, the same page says.

CBFC chairperson Shashi Shekhar Vempati has asked filmmakers, in a post on X, to study the revised guidelines and understand the framework, according to ThePrint.