The Central government has decided to deal with the menace of film piracy firmly and bring forward the Cinematograph Bill, 2023 in the next session of Parliament to save the industry from losses of thousands of crore of Rupees by the crime.

This was announced by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur after a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Thakur told newspersons that the proposed legislation, prepared after extensive discussions with stakeholders, will also remove redundant provisions from the existing law and introduce better classification of films than the prevalent U, UA and A categories.

He said the issue of piracy had proved to be a challenge not just for Indian film industry, but for the whole world. It is team work which goes into making of good content, but piracy destroys all possible recognition for it, he said. Indian film industry had worked hard to make its mark in the world of entertainment.

The government recognised the long demand for action on piracy, and a Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2019. It was sent to a Standing Committee for suggestions. Consultations were held with stakeholders and international best practices were examined. The updated Bill has incorporated all the required changes.

Thakur said piracy hurt the sentiments of filmmakers and film-lovers equally. The Indian film industry made international impact with works like Elephant Whisperers, RRR and Natu Natu, but piracy can inflict heavy damage to their creators.

The minister said full details of the legislation will come out at the time of the Parliament session. The revised Cinematograph Bill has been prepared to protect the industry’s interests. It is a revolutionary step that has been taken after wide consultations, and will benefit the whole film industry, Thakur said.

He said new categories of film classification will be better and like the OTT sector, they will be worked out as per age of the audiences.

Answering questions, the minister said: “This Bill will live up to the expectations of the industry and we had wider consultations will all stakeholders, from international filmmakers like motion pictures to Indian film industry, from different regions to the national level, public consultations have been held, inter-Ministerial consultations have been held, and I am sure this Bill will satisfy each and every one, without creating any controversy.”