#e4mExclusive:  Shashi Shekhar Vempati Named Chairperson of CBFC

Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati and a Padma Shri awardee, is set to take over as Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), marking a significant leadership change at the apex film certification body.

Vempati takes over the charge from Prasoon Joshi, who was recently appointed as the Chairman of Prasar Bharati. 

The development comes alongside Vempati’s recent decision to step down from the board of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), where he served as a professional director since 2024. Confirming his resignation, Vempati cited personal reasons, stating that he had chosen to exit the ratings body at this juncture.

His appointment to the CBFC is expected to bring a blend of policy, technology, and media experience to the certification process at a time when the board is navigating evolving content standards amid the rapid expansion of digital and theatrical ecosystems.

Industry observers note that Vempati’s transition from BARC to CBFC signals a shift from audience measurement to content regulation—two critical pillars of India’s media and entertainment landscape. While BARC plays a central role in determining television viewership metrics that guide advertising spends and programming strategies, the CBFC remains the statutory authority responsible for certifying films for public exhibition in India.

Vempati’s professional journey spans over two decades across technology, governance, and media. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, he spent more than 16 years at Infosys as a product strategist and digital innovator before moving into the media sector. In 2013, he took over as CEO of NitiCentral, marking his entry into public discourse and policy-oriented media platforms.

He later rose to prominence as CEO of Prasar Bharati, where he led India’s public broadcasting transformation efforts, focusing on digital expansion and modernization of legacy platforms such as Doordarshan and All India Radio.

Beyond broadcasting, Vempati has remained actively engaged in policy and academic circles. He is currently co-founder of the DeepTech for Bharat Foundation and holds positions including membership in the society of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, as well as chairing the Science & Technology Communication Apex Advisory Committee.

His regulatory experience was also evident during the 2020 television ratings controversy, when he headed a four-member committee constituted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to review guidelines governing television rating agencies. The panel’s mandate was to enhance transparency and restore credibility in the audience measurement ecosystem following allegations of TRP manipulation.

His exit from the BARC board comes at a time when the ratings body continues to play a pivotal role in India’s television industry, providing data that underpins billions of rupees in advertising investments. While his tenure at BARC was relatively brief, it coincided with a period of structural introspection and reform within the ratings framework.

At the CBFC, Vempati is expected to face a different set of challenges. The board has increasingly been at the center of debates around creative freedom, certification norms, and the balance between regulation and artistic expression. With the rise of OTT platforms and changing audience sensibilities, the CBFC’s role in defining content boundaries has come under sharper scrutiny.

Stakeholders across the film and media industry will be closely watching how Vempati approaches certification standards, particularly in an environment where regulatory frameworks are being tested by new formats, distribution channels, and global content influences.

His appointment signals the government’s continued preference for technocrat-administrators with cross-sector expertise to helm key media institutions, as India’s content ecosystem grows in scale and complexity.