The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 that has provisions to curb transmission of pirated film content on the internet, information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur said.
The move has been welcomed by members of the Indian film fraternity as they termed it as a move towards “preserving the movie going experience” and “curbing the menace of film piracy”.
Briefing reporters on the Cabinet’s decision, Thakur said the bill will be introduced in the upcoming session of Parliament. The bill also has provisions to classify films on the basis of age group, instead of the current practice of ‘U’, ‘A’, and ‘UA’.
It is learnt that the amendments seek to add new classification – ‘UA-7+’, ‘UA-13+’ and ‘UA-16+’ in place for 12 years.
Besides improving the process to certify films by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the amendments also seek to bring about uniformity in categorisation of films and content across platforms.
The amendments are also expected to harmonise the law with executive orders and various Supreme Court judgements.
Bollywood star Ajay Devgn tagged Thakur on Twitter and wrote, "Kudos to the @MIB_India for proactively making amendments to the Cinematograph Act, thereby preserving the movie going experience. @ianuragthakur."
In a statement shared on its official Twitter page, production house T-Series said the measure will help keep piracy in check.” “T-Series supports government’s recent move with the amendment in the Cinematograph Act, 1952 to bring about improvements in curbing the menace of film piracy! This move is very effective as it will not only help in faster growth of the film industry but also boost job creation in the sector,” the banner said in the statement.
Actor-director R Madhavan termed the development a “brilliant” move. “Union Cabinet approves amendment in Cinematograph Act 1952 to comprehensively curb menace of film piracy. This is brilliant and much. I awaited and welcome to use. Wonderful proactive action. @MIB_India @ianuragthakur @Murugan_MoS #CineAct2023 #CinematographAct2023,” he tweeted.
SLV Cinemas, the banner behind the Nani-starrer Dasara, said the approval of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 is “great news for the Film Industry”. “Union Cabinet approves amendment in Cinematograph Act 1952 to comprehensively curb menace of film piracy. Thank you @MIB_India and Hon'ble Minister @ianuragthakur Garu for addressing the issue. @Murugan_MoS #CineAct2023 #CinematographAct2023,” it said in a tweet.
