Policies/Regulation
A website once used by filmmakers and journalists to check film certificates and cuts is no longer open to the public. The e-Cinepramaan portal, run by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), was taken down in May for “maintenance.” But now, it seems the changes are permanent and access is blocked.
Launched in 2017, e-Cinepramaan helped users easily look up which films had been certified, what cuts were asked for, and whether a movie had been given a U, U/A or A rating. The site used QR codes that directly led to each film’s certificate. This was especially useful because the main CBFC website did not always show updated information. But in the new version of the site, QR codes have been removed and the public can no longer search for or view film details.
People in the film industry say this move is a big step backwards. A director whose political film has been waiting for CBFC approval said,
“For years, we’ve been trying to build a case against arbitrary cuts. The fact that journalists and activists could cross-reference changes was a quiet deterrent [to the body]. Now, that’s gone. This might seem like a small tweak, but the message it sends is clear. They don’t want us to see what’s being cut.”
