Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi and Suniel Shetty named to reconstituted film certification board

The Indian government has overhauled the country's film censor board, appointing a new 18-member panel stacked with prominent names from Hindi and regional cinema. Actors Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, and Suniel Shetty are among those named to the reconstituted Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in a major refresh of the influential body.

The appointments, notified on Wednesday by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, take effect immediately and will run for a three-year term or until further orders. The reconstituted board is headed by chairperson Shashi Shekhar Vempati.

Alongside the Bollywood veterans, the newly minted panel includes a diverse mix of artists, filmmakers, and cultural figures. Among them are filmmaker Priyadarshan, Grammy-winning musician Ricky Kej, Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, and television star Roopali Ganguly, who formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party earlier this year.

The line-up also features singer and former MP Hans Raj Hans, filmmaker Abhishek Jain, and actor Pallavi Joshi. Her husband, director Vivek Agnihotri, is among the high-profile exits from the outgoing board.

This is the first time the CBFC has been reconstituted since August 2017. Although the previous board was appointed for a three-year term, its members continued to serve long past their 2020 expiry dates. Under the board's rules, members are permitted to remain in office until their successors are officially named, which led to a nine-year stretch for several outgoing panellists.

Of the previous 18-member panel, only theatre director Waman Kendre and writer Ramesh Patange have been retained. Notable departures alongside Agnihotri include actor Vidya Balan, former footballer Mihir Bhutia, and actors Gautami Tadimalla and Jeevitha Rajasekhar.

The ministry issued the notification under Section 3(1) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, read alongside Rule 3 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. Five of the 18 newly appointed members are women, including Zinta, Ganguly, producer Supriya Yarlagadda, actor Nishigandha Wad, and Pallavi Joshi.