Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023: How is the film industry perceiving it?

The Bill passed by Parliament on Monday has provisions to introduce three age-based certifications under the 'UA' category.

It is with much zeal and a pinch of uncertainty that the Indian film fraternity has welcomed the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 which mandates a maximum jail term of three years and a fine of up to five per cent of the film's production cost for those involved in film piracy and circulation of such content. Though the amendments to the cinematograph act are aimed at curbing film piracy, the doyens in the film industry have expressed mixed feelings with some raising concerns about the effectiveness in enforcement of the regulations.

In a bid to curb film piracy, the bill seeks to introduce new sections in the Cinematograph Act with provisions to prohibit the unauthorised recording of films (Section 6AA) and their exhibition (Section 6AB).

Girish Johar, producer and trade analyst told the Hindustan Times, "It may seem a little complicated to execute at the ground level, but it’s a humongous step for the fraternity. We lose so much revenues because of piracy in all formats, so controlling that aspect is a fantastic thing. There’s a framework where such people can’t walk free now."

The Bill passed by Parliament on Monday also has provisions to introduce three age-based certifications under the 'UA' category, namely 'UA 7+', 'UA 13+' and 'UA 16+', and to empower the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to sanction a film with a separate certificate for its exhibition on television or other media. The Bill also empowers the state governments to block websites and URLs hosting pirated content under the Information Technology Act.

Also Read | Cinematograph Amendment Bill passed in Lok Sabha

Anand Pandit, a noted producer who owns the banner Anand Pandit Motion Picture, told the publication that age categorisations help in deciding what is appropriate for different age groups. “The newly introduced age categorisations like U/A 7+, U/A 13+ and U/A 16+ will create more transparency and provide clearer guidance to viewers about the suitability of the content for different age groups.” He also added that the clear demarcation will help filmmakers understand the demographic that they are going to serve.

Director Milap Zaveri welcomed the age categorisations saying that it offers more options to the film industry. He was quoted as saying that recent releases have seen much crowd in the theatres. “Third-party apps, like Telegram, etc don’t stop people from going to the theatre and watching the films they want to watch,” he told the publication.

Trade Expert Atul Mohan has expressed his concern over the age categorisations saying, “There are so many age categorisations, how would you understand that what should be controlled for 7-13, or 13-18?” He called for proper supervision in theatres to check if people are recording even if they are short clips that are circulated on social media.

(With inputs from PTI)