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Sona Mohapatra has not only given us amazing numbers to hum like ‘Ambarsariya’, ‘Bedardi Raja’ etc, but has also been one of the most courageous women who doesn’t shy away from calling out big names in the industry. It is no secret that Sona does not mince her words even when she’s calling out big names like Kangana Ranaut, or even Farah Khan for that matter.
Yet again, Sona has shed light on the discrepancies between the kind of work that male and female artists get in the music industry.
She has also confessed to refusing projects when she was told that she would be only singing the last four lines. She said,
“I have been called up for such songs and I have walked out of studios because I don’t want to sing a song where a mukhra-antara, mukhra-antara is Arijit and I sing the last four lines. It is almost like a man wants to make love to himself in a song.
Even in a romantic duet, if the female gets a part only in the end, it is very bizarre and this is in a country where we couldn’t put out a sound track without a (Lata) Mangeshkar voice!”
In the interview with Hindustan Times, she also condemned the Indian music industry for being regressive and cited an article she read, which said that 8 out 10 songs in the industry are sung by male artists.
That’s huge, isn’t it? Should give us an insight into the kind of position women hold in the industry.
Sona also named some of her allies in the industry which included composer Ram Sampath and Aamir Khan adding that we do not live in a time where we have to suck up to people and wait for the big break.
Talking about the kind of songs that she would prefer to sing and be known for, she said,
“I would rather sing Mujhe Kya Bechega Ruppaiyya which had a wide cultural impact rather than sing hundreds of love songs. I have a Naina, I have an Ambarsariya but it is okay if I don’t get 50 of those. I have never been just a singer. I consider myself a much superior performing artist.”
It is no secret that Sona gets a lot of hate for her uncensored and unapologetic views. She gave a pretty badass answer yet detailed answer about how we as a society are changing.
She also claimed that she is the most well-equipped to handle negativity because of all the hate she’s gotten.
If there is anyone who is well equipped to handle negativity, it has to be me. I come from an engineering college which was a very sexist environment. Where the women were supposed to wear their dupattas in a certain angle and a certain place above their bosom in a manner that it doesn’t offend the ‘sanskari’ people, just to control us and create a scenario where we are ashamed for our body, ashamed of our clothes, ashamed of fighting elections. But I fought elections. The fact that I was changing the rules, my juniors would come to me and say that we’ve heard this and that, we are so proud we had someone like you before us. And I saw the changes. Girls and boys were talking more freely in the coming batches,” she said.
I recently spoke about an incident when I was brutally harmed and was abused on a train. The kind of online comments were ridiculous responses that could be there, I was told who wears a pair of jeans, but I think it is best that these people come out and expose the world for what it is. I am one of the busiest artists in this country and it is not because of Bollywood but because I have been putting out my own music. I am very grateful for the times we are living in. We are at a flashpoint when it comes to women issues, a lot of discussion is happening. I believe I am standing on the right side of the history,” she added.
There was a time (10 years ago) when my Facebook posts would attract negative comments in the public and people would send me personal messages who would not have the gumption to write on the page… for the fear of being trolled… women would rarely comment on the page… now I see people voicing their support for me in public — both men and women are openly expressing support for the cause of freedom….now I don’t have to be fighting every idiotic comment… I have my fans fighting for my side.”
Sona has some pretty great points, don’t you think? There’s a reason why people love her so much, not only because she’s a phenomenal singer but because she is an amazing human being as well.
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