Directors Sridhar Rangayan and Saagar Gupta thrilled that, in a rare instance, their queer love story Kuch Sapney Apne gets U/A certificate
(From left) Satvik Bhatia, Mona Ambegaonkar and Arpit Chaudhary
From Kapoor & Sons (2016) to Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhaan (2020) and Badhaai Do (2022), Bollywood has steadily embraced queer love stories in the past few years. Joining the list is Kuch Sapney Apne, Sridhar Rangayan and Saagar Gupta’s directorial venture that is set to hit the big screen on February 21. What the makers are most enthused about is that the film—which tells the intertwined story of four couples, with an emphasis on the queer love story playing out between Satvik Bhatia and Arpit Chaudhary’s characters—has received a ‘U/A’ certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), making it suitable for audiences aged 16 and above.
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“Usually, a film with a gay focus gets an ‘A’ certification. Here, we have seen a progressive certification from the Censor Board,” said Rangayan, happy that his tender love story will reach young people. Starring Mona Ambegaonkar, Shishir Sharma, Abhay Kulkarni, and Veenah Naair alongside Bhatia and Chaudhary, Kuch Sapney Apne explores themes of love, family, betrayal and redemption.
Sridhar Rangayan
“The film is about family and community, that vital ecosystem that sustains us. We all need love, support, and acceptance to thrive,” said Gupta. The social drama highlights not only how a family’s support goes a long way in helping people embrace their identity, but also how our society is conditioned by patriarchy.
Rangayan added, “A mother may accept her gay son, though it is difficult for her, but for the father, it is much more difficult. This is because we have a patriarchal system. We seek to ask the uncomfortable questions through the medium.”
A still from Kuch Sapney Apne
As Kuch Sapney Apne nears its release date, the directors hope that the three-song album will strike a chord with the listeners. Rangayan said with a laugh, “We hope the romantic duet, Tu sunn zara, sung by Shashwat Singh and Sushant Divgikar and written by Gupta, will become the Indian gay romantic anthem.”
Though slow, there has been a positive change in mainstream Indian cinema. Barely three decades ago, Deepa Mehta’s same-sex love story Fire (1998) had raised a firestorm, with debates about freedom of artistic expression versus ‘preservation of Indian culture’. With queer romances finding their due place on celluloid today, Rangayan reflected, “We have come a long way from those dark days when the release of Fire created chaos. Society has become more progressive and there is slightly more acceptance of diversity. Yet, whether this society will go to the theatres to watch an LGBTQ film remains to be seen.”
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