In a bard’s words: If music be the food of love, play on. A one-of-a-kind music video, “Head Held High”, is giving an opportunity to the LGBT community in India to talk about love, acceptance and celebration.
“When it comes to love, it can be anyone!” it exudes, and “that’s the mantra it’s running by”, says Sharif D. Rangnekar, the lyricist and producer of the video. The song itself dates back to the late 2013, but the new video directed by Payal Shah was launched on this past week by Anjali Gopalan of NAZ Foundation, an NGO that has been actively supportive of the gay community by fighting for its legal rights.
The video takes the viewers through a journey wrapped in doubt, confusion, frustration, courage, confidence, joy, and finally, celebration. It features nine people, two of which have been identified as gays, so as to incorporate the significance of inclusivity in society.
“This music video came about because of Sharif’s desire to give a visual element to the song. We decided that this has got to be a very triumphant and celebratory kind of a video,” says Payal.
Talking about 2013, Sharif says, “It started when I was thinking about what doubt does to people. I had also just discussed Tagore with a Bengali friend of mine, and his ‘where the mind is without fear and he head is held high’ resonated. That’s where the lyrics came from.”
Sharif is part of “Friends of Linger”, an unconventional band of sorts that came together in 2013. This bunch of busy professionals pursue their passion in music alongside associating themselves with causes such as in “Head Held High”. “Plenty of work is going to come about in the coming year. We are looking at a variety of topics — women’s rights, religion, capitalism and greed, freedom of speech and the role of the youth — that will raise questions of relevance to society,” Sharif informs.
Is the positive approach to the song and video too simplistic? “Nothing is simple,” Payal states. “For me, I think the song is not just for the LGBT community. I didn’t want to show a dark side, because personally, I believe there is no dark side.” The optimistic hue to the video is exactly where their aim lie. “When you take a positive approach, you talk on a common ground. Love cannot be dark. At the beginning of the video, you do see despondency and doubt, but then, it also shows you the journey wherein once you develop that confidence, you automatically move into a positive stage,” Sharif adds. The reception, they share, has been extremely positive. “People are using different ways of relating with the video. My mother is very proud of it as well,” he bemoans.
When asked about the state of the LGBT cause in India today, Sharif says, “I think we’re living in a time where there is a lack of information in society. It’s absurd to believe that you claim that the number of people in the LGBT community is too small to recognise. I think that’s an abuse as far as democracy goes! The way forward is to have different forms of mainstream dialogue, more voices coming out in favour, and more debates on humanity. It’s a long journey, but it’s great that there is a lot of activism happening.”
“Head Held High”, says Payal, “was conceived in a highly non-commercial atmosphere. She highlights, “Love is a beautiful feeling. It transcends all emotions and equations — and I think that’s our central message through this video.”
(“Held Held High” can be viewed on YouTube, where it’s got “4,800 views so far as on March 20.”)
