Parliament has passed the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 with the Lok Sabha approving it today amid din. The Rajya Sabha has already passed the Bill. The Bill seeks to amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952 under which the certificate issued by the Central Board of Film Certification was valid for 10 years. Now, the certificate will be perpetually valid.
The Bill has a provision to add certain additional certificate categories based on age. Films with an ‘A’ or ‘S’ certificate will require a separate certificate for exhibition on television, or any other media prescribed by the central government. The Bill prohibits the unauthorized recording and exhibition of films. According to the Bill, attempting an unauthorized recording will be an offence with imprisonment between three months and three years, and a fine between three lakh rupees and five percent of the audited gross production cost.
Replying to a brief discussion over the Bill, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said, the credibility of Indian films have increased immensely across the world and the country is producing the highest number of films. Talking about the merits of the Bill, he said, this legislation will benefit every person associated with the film industry. He said, this will check piracy which is causing a huge loss to the film industry. Mr. Thakur added that the film industry is incurring losses of around 22 thousand crore rupees every year due to piracy.
