What was exposed
Confidential documents linked to more than 500 film titles have leaked from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), The Hindu reported. The files include shooting scripts, details of cuts ordered by the board and distribution agreements; the films themselves were not leaked.
How the leak surfaced
The documents appear to have come from e-Cinepramaan, the online portal filmmakers use to seek theatrical clearance. Data from December 2025 to August 2026 was publicly available on the Internet Archive until it was taken down on October 12; how the files were obtained remains unclear.
The uploader used the name of former CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi, written in Russian, as the username. The account has since been deleted, and The Hindu could not reach the person behind it.
Sensitive business details
Some scripts were prepared for the censor board, with shot descriptions, translations and dialogue notes. One had swear words marked out.
The leak also included distribution agreements for films such as The Secret Agent and Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. At least three showed what distributors paid for India release rights, with the amounts not properly blacked out.
Such figures are usually kept private between companies. Delhi-based commercial lawyer Abhinav Hansaraman told The Hindu that a competing party or counterparty would be “in a much better position to negotiate” after seeing them.
CBFC’s response
The board said it had found “no trace” of the documents claimed to have been accessed. Even so, it has filed a complaint with cybercrime authorities and informed CERT-In.
Its technical team examined servers and databases and found no sign that individual filmmakers’ accounts were accessed without permission. The CBFC has also promised a “thorough security audit” of e-Cinepramaan.
Public records missing too
The list of cuts ordered by the board is supposed to be public under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. However, the CBFC website has been showing an “under maintenance” message instead, according to the report.
