Keralam film chamber opposes CBFC advisory allowing review, modification of film titles

A five-point advisory issued by the CBFC stated that the title of a film as indicated by the producer in the application seeking certification, shall not be construed as final or as having been approved merely on account of its submission or registration.

The Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) has opposed the latest advisory issued by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), stating that titles of movies proposed by producers cannot be construed as final and remain liable to review and modification by the examining committee.

A five-point advisory dated October 26, 2026, issued by the CBFC Chief Executive Officer, stated that the title of a film (including its trailer, teaser or promos), as indicated by the producer in the application seeking certification, shall not be construed as final or as having been approved merely on account of its submission or registration.

The title remains liable to scrutiny, review and modification by the examining or revising committee in terms of the guidelines issued under Section 5B(1) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and Rule 25 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. Producers/applicants have been advised not to publicise or commit to a title as final before certification, it said.

The KFCC has written to the CBFC, pointing out that last-minute title changes would impose a financial burden on producers, as fixing a title early is essential for promoting movies from the pre-production stage.

Anil V. Thomas, president of the KFCC, said film production involved multi-crore investments and complex coordination among artistes, technicians and theatrical distributors. A film’s journey began long before it reached the certification stage, and a fixed title was essential for various promotional activities during the pre-production, shooting and pre-release phases, he said.

Sony Thomas John, general secretary of the apex body of the Malayalam film industry, said the KFCC, along with other film chambers across the country, had been entrusted with the publicity clearance process for movies as per a directive dated June 14, 1990, issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The directive entrusted regional film chambers with publicity clearance and title registration of movies.

“We have been diligently following the procedure over the decades, which includes granting title registration for proposed projects. Titles of movies are approved only after thorough screening to avoid the use of offensive, degrading or obscene words,” he said.

The KFCC leadership said trailers and publicity materials were also subject to certification. The directive stating that an approved title shall not be construed as final would cause immense difficulty and uncertainty for the entire film industry. It has urged the CBFC authorities to reconsider the clause relating to film titles in the advisory.

The KFCC said it would abide by the other guidelines in the advisory and ask its members to submit their films in complete and final form to expedite the certification process.

The CBFC advisory had also stated that films submitted for examination and certification must be in their total, final and complete form. Applications accompanied by incomplete prints would be treated as non-compliant and could result in delays, return of applications or rejection. It also stated that the proposed or announced release date of a film or trailer would not be taken into consideration while processing certification applications. Producers were urged to submit applications sufficiently in advance of any proposed release date.