Every Indian movie which is ready to release is sent to Censor office to censor unwanted contents from the movie and assign it a category.
CBFC or the Central Board of Film Certification is the board where films get censor certification.
U certificate and A certificate were the only 2 censor certificates given to movies until 1983 when another 2 certifications namely U/A and S were added.
1. U Certificate [ A/U Certificate ]
U stands for Unrestricted Public Exhibition.
It means that anyone can watch movie irrespective of the age.
2. U/A Certificate [ AVA Certificate ]
UA stands for Unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of twelve.
It means that children under the age of 12 should watch this movie only under the guidance of their parents.
3. A Certificate [ V/A Certificate ]
A stands for Restricted to Adult Audience.
It means that children under 18 years of age cannot watch the movie.
4. S Certificate
S stands for Restricted to specialized audiences such as doctors or scientists.
It means that only specialized audiences like doctors and scientists and their fraternity can watch it.