Cinematograph Bill 2023: Bollywood celebs welcome Centre's move to curb piracy

New Delhi [India], April 20 : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 which aims to curb piracy in film content and protect the creative industry.

After the Cabinet meeting, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said that the bill will be brought in the next Parliament session.

He said the bill is aimed at ensuring that the films do not suffer due to piracy as the menace causes heavy losses to the industry.

Soon after he announced the news, several members of the film fraternity took to their social media handles and hailed the Cabinet's nod to Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023.

Taking to Twitter, actor Ajay Devgn wrote, "Kudos to the @MIB_India for proactively making amendments to the Cinematograph Act, thereby preserving the movie-going experience."

https://twitter.com/ajaydevgn/status/1648696293810905089

Actor R Madhavan wrote, "Union Cabinet approves amendment in Cinematograph Act 1952 to comprehensively curb menace of film piracy. This is brilliant and much I awaited and welcome to use. Wonderful proactive action."

https://twitter.com/ActorMadhavan/status/1648685273583337473

Production house T-series tweeted, "This move is very effective as it will not only help in faster growth of the film industry but also boost job creation in the sector. #TSeries supports the government's recent move with the amendment in the Cinematograph Act, 1952 to bring about improvements in curbing the menace of Film piracy!"

https://twitter.com/TSeries/status/1648700204835647488

In a series of tweets, the minister said the bill will prove to be a revolutionary step towards promoting Indian films and helping local content go global.

"The Indian film industry is a crucial part of our cultural heritage, but piracy has been a constant threat to it. The Union Cabinet's approval of Cinematography Act 2023, is a major step forward towards safeguarding and promoting the film industry," he said.

https://twitter.com/ianuragthakur/status/1648710015619063808

"The bill, which has been drafted after thorough consultation with the stakeholders, incorporating best practices, will be introduced in the next session of parliament. It will also prove to be a revolutionary step towards promoting Indian films & helping local content go global.

"The fight against piracy is a global one but we're determined to protect our creative industry by simplifying laws & improving the ease of doing business in India. Our efforts have resulted in a significant improvement in our rankings benefitting citizens & businesses alike," the minister added.

Officials said that the bill has provisions for categorising films based on age group, rather than the current practice of 'U,' 'A,' and 'UA'.