The withdrawal of the fast-track system – which allowed filmmakers to get CBFC certification within 10-15 days by paying a premium – from June 1 could aggravate delays in film clearances, already worsened by the abolition of the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) in 2021, industry executives said.
It could particularly affect multilingual releases, last-minute edits and films locked into fixed theatrical windows, while increasing legal and operational uncertainty for producers, they said.
“The impact will be felt most by independent producers and regional films, where production timelines are often compressed and release windows are highly competitive,” said Suniel Wadhwa, cofounder and director at Karmic Films.
Executives said the absence of both FCAT and the Tatkal route could slow dispute resolution, forcing producers into prolonged litigation and making release schedules harder to predict.
The ministry had floated a public consultation in February proposing discontinuation of the priority scheme before formally withdrawing it from June 1 through the notification of the Cinematograph (Certification) Amendment Rules, 2026, on May 20.
Some regional producers and industry veterans welcomed the move, saying the priority system had long disproportionately benefited large studios and influential production houses, often disrupting release plans of smaller producers who finalise theatrical windows months in advance.
“Situation becomes chaotic when big producers release films without advance communication,” said Naveen Chandra, founder of 91 Film Studios. “This disturbs the release schedule of films which have been planned months in advance.”
He said the growing volume of films requiring certification had made the priority system increasingly difficult to sustain.
“India’s long-term average suggests that nearly 1,800 films are produced annually across languages, amounting to almost five films a day. Besides this, there are festival films in sizeable numbers,” Chandra said. “It is not possible to physically watch films on a Tatkal basis and remain objective.”
Distributors highlighted practical challenges in certifying big-budget films, noting that Indian filmmakers, including big directors, often re-shoot and work on visual effects until just days before a film’s release.
“Unlike in the West, where studios plan films well in advance, one hardly sees big directors presenting full films to CBFC one month prior to release,” said Shaaminder Malik, film distributor and trade analyst.
The ministry, while proposing discontinuation of the scheme, had argued that routine use had diluted its intended purpose and created a “two-tier certification system” where applicants with deeper pockets secured faster clearances.
Government data tabled in parliament showed CBFC-certified theatrical films rose to 2,687 in FY25 from 2,031 in FY22. The ministry said average certification timelines for feature films currently stand at 18 working days against the prescribed 48 working days under the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024.