The Indian Film Industry

India’s films are made in many languages. Each big language has its own industry. This lesson starts with those industries and then follows the law, the money and the 2026 news.

1.1 What does Bollywood mean?

Bollywood is the Hindi-language film industry. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is one industry among several, not the whole of Indian cinema.

A Variety report on 2015 shows why. India certified 1,827 films that year. Bollywood made 297 of them. The Tamil industry also made 297.

1.2 What are the other industries called?

Each big language industry has a nickname that rhymes with Bollywood.

• Tollywood mostly means Telugu cinema today. It is based in Hyderabad, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• Kollywood is Tamil cinema, based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Mollywood is Malayalam cinema, in Kerala.
• Sandalwood is Kannada cinema, in Karnataka.

The name Tollywood has been used for two different industries in India’s history. So check which one a question means.

1.3 How many films does India make?

India released over 1,900 films in 2025, says the FICCI-EY report. The full report counts 1,972 films, including 270 dubbed films. It counts 1,823 films for 2024.

1.4 When did Indian cinema begin?

Dadasaheb Phalke released Raja Harishchandra in 1913. PIB calls it the first full-length Indian silent feature film. The government fixed 3 May for the National Film Awards to mark its release on 3 May 1913.

Read about him in Dadasaheb Phalke, the Father of Indian Cinema.

NCERT’s Class 12 Sociology book adds the colonial side. Under British rule, films were strictly monitored by the Raj. After independence, the government’s Films Division made newsreels and documentaries. These were shown before films in movie theatres.

Every film needs a certificate before it is shown in public. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) grants it. The Cinematograph Act, 1952 is the law behind it.

2.1 What is the CBFC?

The CBFC is a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Films can be shown in public in India only after it certifies them. Showing an uncertified film is an offence under the Act. The CBFC calls it cognizable and non-bailable.

The Board was set up on 15 January 1951 as the Central Board of Film Censors. It was known by that name till 1 June 1983.

2.2 What do the certificates mean?

Only two certificates existed at first. They were U and A. UA and S were added in June 1983.

• U: unrestricted public exhibition.
• UA: unrestricted exhibition, with parents deciding for young children.
• A: restricted to adults.
• S: restricted to specialised audiences, such as doctors or scientists.

Video versions of a film need certification too. Video films carry V/U, V/UA, V/A or V/S marks.

2.3 Why was the UA category split?

Before the change, UA meant parental guidance for children below twelve.

The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 let the old UA category be divided into three age bands. These are UA 7+, UA 13+ and UA 16+. PIB says the markers are only recommendatory. They help parents decide.

2.4 When did the new bands start?

The Act is dated 4 August 2023. The Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024 were notified on 15 March 2024. PIB says films were certified in the new categories from 24 October 2024.

2.5 How long does a certificate last?

Earlier, the Act limited a certificate to ten years. The 2023 amendment removed the words “for a period of ten years”. PIB describes this as perpetual validity of CBFC certificates.

Learn these dates in order. Each one marks a step in the story of films and the law.

3.1 What is the timeline?

• 3 May 1913: Raja Harishchandra is released.
• 15 January 1951: the Central Board of Film Censors is set up.
• 1952: the year of the Cinematograph Act (Act 37 of 1952).
• 1954: the National Film Awards are instituted.
• 1975: the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) is set up.
• June 1983: UA and S are added, and the Board becomes the CBFC.
• 4 August 2023: the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 is dated.
• 24 October 2024: films are certified as UA 7+, UA 13+ and UA 16+.

NFDC was set up to plan, promote and organise the development of the Indian film industry. In December 2020 the government decided to merge four film bodies into it:

• The Films Division.
• The Directorate of Film Festivals.
• The National Film Archive.
• The Children’s Film Society.

The numbers below come from the FICCI-EY report for 2025. The figures are in rupees. One billion is 100 crore.

4.1 What did the 2025 numbers show?

• India’s media and entertainment sector grew 9% to ₹2.78 trillion (₹2.78 lakh crore).
• The film segment earned a record ₹205 billion.
• Domestic gross box office grew 14%, from ₹114 billion to ₹130 billion. It was an all-time high.
• 37 films earned ₹1 billion or more at the box office.

4.2 Where does film money come from?

Theatres still bring most of it. Domestic theatrical revenue was 63% of total film income. Digital and OTT revenue came next, at 14%.

4.3 What happened to digital media?

Digital media became the single largest segment of the whole media and entertainment sector in 2025. It crossed ₹1 trillion for the first time. This covers more than streaming. Digital advertising alone rose 26% to ₹947 billion.

A guest foreword in the report says India’s OTT market crossed ₹272 billion in 2025. OTT means streaming over the internet.

On 5 August 2026, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said intermediaries had been directed to disable 7,393 URLs for film piracy. The list included 4,996 Telegram channels and 1,263 websites. Minister of State Dr. L. Murugan gave the figures in a written Lok Sabha reply.

5.1 Which law is used?

The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 added new provisions against unauthorised recording and exhibition of films. The new Section 7(1B)(ii) lets the Government act under Section 79(3) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 against intermediaries hosting pirated content.

Under the IT Rules, 2021, intermediaries must remove unlawful content when the government or its authorised agency notifies them. The Government has authorised the Joint Secretary (Films) to issue takedown notices.

5.2 What do Sections 6AA and 6AB ban?

• Section 6AA: using a recording device in a licensed cinema to make or transmit an infringing copy of a film.
• Section 6AB: showing an infringing copy to the public for profit at an unlicensed place, or in a way that infringes copyright.

5.3 What is the penalty?

Breaking Section 6AA or 6AB under Section 7(1A) brings imprisonment of three months to three years. The fine is at least ₹3 lakh. It can go up to 5% of the audited gross production cost. Both punishments apply.

A wronged person can still sue under Section 51 of the Copyright Act, 1957. That is allowed by Section 7(1B).

For the wider law angle, see Intellectual Property Rights.

Two 2026 stories show the other side of streaming. One is about blocking. The other is about investment.

6.1 Why were 50 OTT platforms disabled?

The government disabled 50 OTT platforms in the last two years for displaying obscene content. Minister of State L. Murugan said so in a written Lok Sabha reply on 22 July 2026.

A regional news report on the reply names the laws. They are listed below.

• Sections 67 and 67A of the IT Act.
• Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
• Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

6.2 What is the Netflix India Storytelling Initiative?

Netflix announced the Netflix India Storytelling Initiative on 5 August 2026, after co-CEO Ted Sarandos met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Netflix calls it a multi-phase investment in India’s creative talent pipeline.

Netflix says it has created 200+ Originals and filmed in 100+ locations in India.

6.3 What is in the first phase?

The first phase is about youth skilling. It has two partnerships.

• The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT): a curriculum in visual effects and media technology, plus 100 scholarships.
• The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC): training for audio-description writers and voice-over artists. This makes films accessible to people with visual and hearing impairments.

The Centre funds film-making and promotion. It also acted on rules in mid-2026.

7.1 What does the DCDFC scheme do?

The Development, Communication and Dissemination of Filmic Content (DCDFC) scheme gives financial assistance for the production of regional films. It is a central sector scheme, 100 per cent funded by the Centre. NFDC also helps through it.

The Government also supports Indian film-makers at international festivals and film markets. It works with FICCI and the International Chamber of Commerce.

7.2 What did the Study Group get to look at?

On 29 June 2026, the Ministry announced a high-level Study Group chaired by Prasoon Joshi. A review meeting chaired by Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took the decision.

• global competitiveness of Indian films;
• artificial intelligence and virtual production;
• access to institutional finance for film-makers.

It must report to the Ministry within three months.

7.3 Why model rules for States?

The same day, the Ministry sent Model State Cinema Regulations to all State Governments. It asked them to adopt them. Regulation of cinemas and theatres is under the State list. PIB says this has been a roadblock to cinema infrastructure, especially in small towns and rural areas.

Two kinds of recognition matter for exams. One is at home. The other is abroad.

8.1 Which film won at Cannes in 1956?

Satyajit Ray’s Bengali film Pather Panchali (1955) won the “most human document” award at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. It is the first part of the Apu trilogy. The trilogy is Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956) and The World of Apu (1959).

The site also has articles on Satyajit Ray and the Rise of Parallel Cinema, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mani Ratnam and Mira Nair.

8.2 Who sends India’s film to the Oscars?

The Film Federation of India (FFI) picks India’s official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. In 2025 it chose Homebound for the 98th Academy Awards.

8.3 Who gives the National Film Awards?

The National Film Awards were instituted in 1954. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting confers them every year. The Directorate of Film Festivals began administering them in 1973. In 2022 it was merged into NFDC, which is now the implementing body.

The full list is in National Film Awards.

8.4 What should you take away?

• Bollywood is only Hindi cinema. India has several other big industries.
• The CBFC decides who may legally watch a film.
• Piracy is handled through the 2023 Act, the IT Act and takedown notices.
• Cinema halls are regulated by States, so the Centre sends model rules.