CBFC to clear music video Miss You by Friends of Linger – showing same-sex love

The music video for Miss You by Friends of Linger has received clearance from the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) and the previously imposed ‘A’ certificate from Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) will be lifted. Instead, it will now be certified as U/A with no cuts.

Released in September 2016, CBFC had first given the video an ‘A’ certification and directed for 10 seconds to be edited out. Upon appealing, the CBFC offered to revise the certification to U/A – with the condition to cut 10 seconds from the 4.55 minute video. However, after nearly four months of waiting, the FCAT in the presence of Chairperson, Manmohan Sarin and members – Poonam Dhillon and Shekhar Iyer – passed an order in favour of the appeal, hence over-turning the decision of the CBFC.

CBFC had initially called the 10-second snippet of two men lying in bed ‘intimate’  where as Sharif Rangnekar – the lead vocalist, lyricist and one of the actors involved in the shot – along with the FCAT, contended the scene displayed separation and not love-making or ‘intimacy’.

Calling it an essential part of the narrative, Rangnekar says that decision to include the scene is not just a ‘victory’ in freedom of expression but also for ‘equality’ saying, “I see no reason why our stories need to be pushed away.” The video addresses love and longing as well as separation caused by marriage, which is a reality that, according to Sharif, should not be shied away from.

The FCAT affirms that the visuals and cuts are of importance to the over-all narrative and that the track highlights a social issue ‘sensitively’. This, according to Sharif “marks a shift in how such institutions view visual content involving the LGBTQ community.”

While receiving the final certificate is awaited, which will enable the distribution of the music video to Indian television channels, the video is available on Friends of Linger’s Youtube channel.