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What is The Central Board of Film Certification's (CBFC) 'S' certification?

Are there any S certified movies?

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    To get something beyond general information, you might want to add to your question: It is a major violation in India to exhibit an 'S' film to persons other than those for whom it is meant (scientific, technical, medical films only to be viewed by professionals for educational purposes). One does have to wonder what film would require such protections!
    – MJ6
    Oct 27, 2012 at 17:00
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    I have came through only one movie so far which has an S tag with it and that, too, is not an Indian made. Movie 'The Birth' was released in India with an S certificate and was meant for doctors and medical professionals only.The movie was more like a documentary than a feature film..
    – user40747
    Sep 2, 2016 at 10:42

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CBFC stands for Central Board of Film Censors,Pakistan or Central Board of Film Certification, India. As the question is tagged "Bollywood", I am taking it for the latter one. It is a referred to as censor board for movies in India. The Center Board of Film Certification is a censorship and classification body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India . Its task as per Wikipedia says is with:

regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952. It assigns certifications to films, television shows, television ads, and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in India. Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after they are certified by the Board.

So a certification by CBFC is a must for release of a film in India. The certification of films by CBFC follows.

According to IBN:

The Cinematograph Act, 1952 (Act 37 of 1952), apart from including provisions relating to Constitution and functioning of the CBFC or the Central Board of Film Certification (called the Central Board of Film Censors before 1983), also lays down the guidelines to be followed by certifying films.

Initially, there were only two categories of certificate:

  1. ‘U’ (unrestricted public exhibition): Movies such as Stanley ka Dabba, Taare Zameen Par and Roadside Romeo. Movies you would take your younger siblings to watch and not feel red-faced about.

  2. ‘A’ (restricted to adult audiences): This category grew to include any movie with expletive language, sex and violence- Kaminey, Love, Sex and Dhokha and Ragini MMS – the slightly off-beat but box office safe movies that the censor board kept away from the children.

Two other categories were added in June, 1983 –

  1. ‘UA’ (unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of twelve): The movies like We are Family, Apne, Waqt - the ultimate family and social value films - the ultimate tear-jerkers.

  2. The ‘S’(restricted to specialized audiences such as doctors or scientists).

[above text has been reformatted from original source]

As per wikipedia;

"This rating signifies that the film is meant for a specialised audience, such as doctors."

Now I could not find any list of "s" certified movies by CBFA, but what I really could find is nothing less important. See this annual report by CBFA for the year 2010, no "s" certified movies were made. So it makes clear that "s" certified movies must be hardly made in India. If it had produced in a good amount, we might have found it on Google easily.

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  • Simply copied the Wiki content, yes i did went through this details... What my question is What is 'S' especially. And any list. thats all. From wiki i know the line (The ‘S’(restricted to specialized audiences such as doctors or scientists). ). But i want to know what are the contents wil be there in such movies... whether its allowed to release in thetres publicly... I havent asked What is CBFC? What are U A U/A certificates stands for?... I have seen U and A and U/A certificates in so many movies. Any way thanks,... Oct 26, 2012 at 12:13
  • @TrackRuler wikipeadia is a valid reference.meta.movies.stackexchange.com/questions/208/…
    – Mistu4u
    Oct 26, 2012 at 12:19
  • We hope to get reference to your research from your side which is not present in your question. If it did, I must have stopped myself from answering.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/127567/…
    – Mistu4u
    Oct 26, 2012 at 12:29
  • Annual reports for 2009 and 2011 also show no 'S' certifications issued. This classification dates back to 1952, perhaps no longer actively used but older existing films may have the rating still.
    – MJ6
    Oct 27, 2012 at 17:52

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