CBFC Certification Statistics India 2026: Films Certified, U/A Age-Categories, Cuts & Regional Offices
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certified approximately 1,650 feature films in calendar year 2024 and is on track for a comparable count in 2025, drawing applications from nine regional offices and more than two dozen Indian languages. The single most consequential structural change in Indian film certification in a decade arrived with the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act 2023 and the follow-on Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 2024: the legacy U/A category was split into three age-graded sub-categories — U/A 7+, U/A 13+, and U/A 16+ — aligning Indian classification with international peers such as the BBFC and MPAA for the first time since the original 1952 framework.
Methodology caveat: figures on this page are sourced from CBFC's public statistical disclosures via cbfcindia.gov.in, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting annual reports, RTI replies aggregated by transparency portals, PIB India press releases and trade-press coverage of individual film certifications. CBFC's public reporting lags by 6–12 months and the new U/A sub-category tallies are partial through 2025; the Editor's Note details exact carve-outs.
At a Glance
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total films certified by CBFC (CY2024) | ~1,650 |
| U certificates issued (CY2024) | ~620 |
| U/A certificates issued, all sub-categories (CY2024) | ~780 |
| A certificates issued (CY2024) | ~240 |
| S (Restricted) certificates issued (CY2024) | ~10 |
| Films requiring cuts or modifications (% latest) | ~22% |
| Average days from submission to certificate (2024) | ~15–20 days |
| CBFC regional offices | 9 |
The New Age-Based Certification Regime
August 2023 — The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act 2023 received presidential assent, replacing the binary U/A category with the age-graded U/A 7+, U/A 13+, and U/A 16+ sub-categories and reinforcing anti-piracy provisions (2023). PIB India.
March 2024 — The Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 2024 were notified by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, operationalising the sub-category framework and the perpetual validity of certificates (CY2024). MIB.
3 — Number of new age-graded U/A sub-categories (U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+) replacing the single legacy U/A grade since the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 2024 took effect (2024). CBFC India.
5 — Total certification categories now in force: U, U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A, with S (Restricted) reserved for specialised audiences (2024). CBFC India.
72 years — Time elapsed between the original Cinematograph Act 1952 and the first substantive age-graded restructure of the U/A category in 2024 (1952–2024). MIB.
The U/A 7+ tier flags content unsuitable for unaccompanied viewing by children below seven, U/A 13+ extends the threshold to thirteen, and U/A 16+ to sixteen — mirroring BBFC's PG/12A/15 and MPAA's PG/PG-13 logic while remaining advisory rather than legally binding on parents.
Certifications by Category
| Category | Films certified (CY2024, approx.) |
|---|---|
| U (Universal) | ~620 |
| U/A — legacy + new 7+/13+/16+ combined | ~780 |
| A (Adults only) | ~240 |
| S (Restricted to specialised audiences) | ~10 |
| Refused / Withheld | fewer than 5 |
~38% — Share of CBFC-certified feature films receiving a U certificate in CY2024, the most common single grade (CY2024). CBFC India.
~47% — Share of CBFC-certified feature films receiving any U/A grade in CY2024 (CY2024). CBFC India.
~15% — Share of CBFC-certified feature films receiving an A certificate in CY2024, broadly stable across 2022–2024 (CY2024). MIB.
Fewer than 5 — Feature films formally refused certification by CBFC in CY2024; outright refusal is rare because applicants typically withdraw or accept modifications first (CY2024). CBFC India.
Cuts, Modifications & Refusals
~22% — Share of CBFC submissions in CY2024 that received their certificate only after the examining committee required cuts, additions, or modifications (CY2024). CBFC India.
~120 — Cuts and modifications reportedly requested by the CBFC examining and revising committees for Animal (Hindi, 2023) before its A certificate was issued, the most-cited modern reference case for CBFC stringency on a mainstream release (CY2023). The Hindu.
3 — Cuts reportedly applied to Pushpa 2: The Rule (Telugu, 2024) before its A certificate, a contrast with Animal's far longer modification list (CY2024). Variety.
21 — Reported visual and verbal modifications negotiated for Vedaa (Hindi, 2024) prior to a U/A certificate, per trade-press reporting (CY2024). Indian Express.
State-level restrictions — Marco (Malayalam, 2024) received an A certificate from CBFC but faced screening curbs in some states on public-order grounds, illustrating that even certified content remains exposed to state-level discretion (CY2024). The Hindu.
Producers aggrieved by CBFC decisions previously appealed to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT); after FCAT was abolished in 2021, appeals now route to the relevant High Court — a procedural shift that has lengthened resolution timelines for contested certifications (2021–). PIB India.
Certifications by Language
| Language | Films certified (CY2024, approx.) |
|---|---|
| Hindi | ~330 |
| Tamil | ~280 |
| Telugu | ~260 |
| Malayalam | ~200 |
| Kannada | ~190 |
| Bengali | ~110 |
| Marathi | ~120 |
| Bhojpuri | ~80 |
CBFC's language-level tallies count every certified feature, including dubs and re-certifications, which is why these figures exceed producer-guild theatrical-release counts. For the broader industry-output context — theatrical releases, box-office, and screen counts — see our Indian Film Industry Statistics page.
Regional Offices & Throughput
9 — CBFC regional offices, with the headquarters in Mumbai and branch offices in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Cuttack, Guwahati, and New Delhi (latest). CBFC India.
Mumbai HQ — Handles the largest share of certifications by volume, driven by Hindi-language and Marathi submissions; the Chennai and Hyderabad offices together account for most Tamil and Telugu throughput (CY2024). CBFC India.
Office-level monthly throughput figures are not consistently published in CBFC's public disclosures; the most reliable cross-section comes from MIB annual reports and the occasional Standing Committee on Information Technology question paper. Where regional-office backlog has been reported in trade press, it has tended to coincide with festival-release surges around Diwali, Pongal, and Christmas windows.
OTT and Series — Outside CBFC
Streaming originals released directly to OTT platforms in India are not subject to CBFC certification. They fall under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, which mandate a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism: Level 1 self-regulation by each platform, Level 2 industry-body self-regulatory body, and Level 3 oversight by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The IT Rules 2021 require OTT platforms to age-rate originals across five categories (U, U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, A) — a framework that, notably, pre-empted CBFC's own move to the age-graded sub-categories by two-plus years and which is now broadly aligned with the post-2024 theatrical regime.
For OTT-originals output, subscriber counts, and the streaming-revenue split, see our OTT Streaming Statistics page.
Time to Certification
~15–20 days — Typical elapsed time from a complete e-Cinepramaan application to the issued certificate for a standard feature in 2024, against a statutory target of 68 days that the board routinely beats for uncontested submissions (CY2024). CBFC India.
e-Cinepramaan — CBFC's online application portal, now the default submission channel and the source of substantially all turnaround-time gains since 2017; the portal handles application, payment, screening scheduling, and digital certificate issuance (latest). e-Cinepramaan portal.
Perpetual validity — Certificates issued under the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 2024 are valid for perpetuity rather than the previous 10-year window, removing a recurring re-certification burden for catalogue titles (2024). MIB.
Methodology & Sources
Figures sourced from CBFC's public statistical disclosures available via cbfcindia.gov.in, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting annual reports, RTI replies published on transparency portals (rtigateway.org.in, PIB India press releases), and trade-press reporting on individual film certifications (Variety India, The Hindu, Indian Express, Hindustan Times). Where official CBFC sub-category breakdowns for U/A 7+/13+/16+ are not yet consolidated, totals are reported at the combined U/A level and flagged in the Editor's Note.
Editor's Note on Data Choices
CBFC's public statistical reporting lags actual certification activity by 6–12 months, and the board reports against an internal calendar that mixes fiscal-year (FY24–25) and calendar-year framings. Several figures on this page are best-available approximations rounded to the nearest ten or significant digit; precise sub-category counts for U/A 7+, U/A 13+, and U/A 16+ are partial because the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 2024 took effect in March 2024 and operational rollout across regional offices completed only later in the year.
Aggregate cuts-per-film is not an officially published statistic. Individual film cut counts cited here (Animal, Pushpa 2, Vedaa) are derived from trade-press reporting and director or producer interviews; they should be treated as media-attributed rather than CBFC-published. Where a state-level screening restriction is mentioned, the CBFC certificate itself remains valid nationally — state action operates under separate public-order statutes.
Further Reading and External Context
Primary sources: CBFC India for live certification disclosures and board composition; Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for annual reports and rules notifications; PIB India for Cinematograph (Amendment) Act 2023 press releases; the e-Cinepramaan portal for the application workflow; the Wikipedia entry on the Central Board of Film Certification as a reliable secondary aggregator; and Variety India, The Hindu, and Indian Express for individual-film cut and modification coverage.
FAQ
How many films does CBFC certify each year?
CBFC certified approximately 1,650 feature films across all languages in CY2024, with comparable throughput tracking into 2025. Volumes have stayed broadly stable since 2022, with Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu accounting for over half of all submissions.
What are the new U/A age-based certification categories in India?
Under the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 2024, the legacy U/A category was split into U/A 7+, U/A 13+, and U/A 16+, advising parental discretion for children below 7, 13, and 16 respectively. Total categories now in force: U, U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, A, and S.
How long does CBFC certification take?
Typical turnaround for a complete e-Cinepramaan application in CY2024 is ~15–20 days, well inside the statutory 68-day window. Contested cases requiring revising-committee referral or High Court appeal can extend by weeks or months.
What is the difference between U/A 13+ and U/A 16+ in India?
Both grades, introduced under the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 2024, are advisory: U/A 13+ flags content unsuitable for unaccompanied viewing by under-13s; U/A 16+ raises that threshold to 16. Neither is legally restrictive on parents at theatrical entry.
Does CBFC regulate OTT streaming content?
No — OTT originals fall under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, with a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism overseen by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, not CBFC. CBFC's jurisdiction is theatrical.
Which film had the most cuts demanded by CBFC?
Among recent mainstream releases, Animal (Hindi, 2023) is the most-cited modern case at roughly 120 cuts and modifications before its A certificate, per trade-press reporting. Aggregate cuts-per-film is not an officially published CBFC statistic.