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Central Board of Film Certification

film certification body of India

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 24, 2026
Entity authorityQ2944404 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952." The Cinematograph Act 1952 outlines a strict certification process for commercial films shown in public venues. Films screened in cinemas and on television may only be publicly exhibited in India after certification by the board and edited.

Certificates and guidelines

The board currently issues four certificates. Originally, there were two: U (unrestricted public exhibition with family-friendly movies) and A (public exhibition restricted to adults but any kind of nudity not allowed). Two more were added in June 1983 that are U/A (unrestricted public exhibition, with parental guidance for children under 12) and S (restricted to specialised audiences, such as doctors or scientists). The board may refuse to certify a film. Additionally, V/U, V/UA, V/A are used for video films with U, U/A and A carrying the same meaning as above. Variations of the U/A certificate were introduced in November 2024: U/A 7+, U/A 13+ and U/A 16+.

U certificate

Films with the U certification are available for unrestricted public exhibition and are family-friendly.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Central Board of Film Certification” as film certification body of India. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Central, Board and Film.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1952, 1983, 2024—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1951. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Central, Board and Film providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Central Board of Film Certification”, the useful work is to connect “film certification body of India” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2944404. VIAF identifies the subject as 122701892. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1952, 1983 and 2024.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Central Board of Film Certification”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Central Board of Film Certification primary sources, Central Board of Film Certification archive and Central research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Central Board of Film Certification”?
  2. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
  3. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Central Board of Film Certification” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.