The Central Board of Film Certification is a statutory censorship and classification body overseen by the Indian Government which can review classification decisions made by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting concerning films, television shows, television ads, and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in India. It regulates the public exhibition of films in India under the provisions of The Cinematograph Act 1952. Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after certification by the Board.

According to the Supreme Court of India:

The CBFC currently issues the following certificates.

UA and S certificates were introduced in 1983.

Cinema came to India in 1896 when the first show at Watson hotel, Bombay (now Mumbai) by Lumière Brothers was presented in July. •The Cinematograph Act 1909 of England was initialized. The act basically covered strict requirements for fire-safety of theatres. The film then in use was made from the highly flammable cellulose nitrate base. Combined with limelight illumination, this created a significant safety hazard, resulting in a number of fatal fires.

A motion picture rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. A particular issued rating can be called a certification, classification, certificate or rating.

This is designed to help parents decide whether a movie is suitable for their children. Yet, the effectiveness of these designations is widely disputed. Also, in some jurisdictions a rating may impose on movie theaters the legal obligation of refusing the entrance of children or minors to the movie. Furthermore, where movie theaters do not have this legal obligation, they may enforce restrictions on their own. Ratings are often given in lieu of censorship. Movie theaters often have time restrictions on what time kids can come in with their parent.

In countries such as Australia, an official government censorship system decides on ratings; in other countries, such as the United States, it is done by industry committees with little, if any official government status. In most countries, however, films that are considered morally offensive have been censored, restricted, or banned. Even if the film rating system has no legal consequences, and a film has not explicitly been restricted or banned, there are usually laws forbidding certain films, or forbidding minors to view them.