New Delhi: Parliament on Monday passed the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 with the Lok Sabha approving the legislation amidst the ongoing protest by opposition parties over the Manipur violence.
Rajya Sabha has already passed the Bill.
The Bill seeks to curb the menace of film piracy, revamp age-based certification given by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as well as maintain uniformity in the categorisation of films and content across platforms.
Talking to UNI after passing the Bill, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said, “The bill will benefit every person associated with the film industry and will check piracy which is causing a huge loss to the film industry.”
He said because of piracy, the film industry incurs a loss of Rs 22 thousand crore annually.
“It (the legislation) will open new avenues and job opportunities in the industry,” he said.
In his remarks in the Lok Sabha, Thakur said, “The Bill is also intended to prohibit the unauthorised recording of the films and ease the process of licensing procedure as the certificates will be perpetually valid”.
Lauding the achievement made by Indian Films and documentaries in the annual Oscar awards, he said, the feature film RRR and documentary The Elephant Whisperers have earned laurels for India on the world stage.
Exuding confidence that the Indian film industry will win more awards in the future also, Thakur said, “The Indian film industry has a huge potential to become a content hub of the world”
Slamming the opposition over the disruption of parliament, he said, “Opposition is against the rising soft power of the country and the film industry”.
The Bill to amends 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.
As per the provision of the Bill, certain additional certificate categories have been added 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.
Among other things, the bill introduces three certifications under the ‘UA’ category, UA 7+, UA 13+ and UA 16+, which means that children younger than the given age limits can access such movies with parental guidance.
The Bill also prohibits the unauthorised recording and exhibition of films.
According to the Bill, attempting an unauthorised 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.
UNI
