Delhi: Singer Sona Mohapatra’s recent tweets have been making headlines for the past few weeks. Many of her tweets, which were addressed to “opportunistic women” appeared to single out actress and former Bigg Boss contestant Shehnaaz Gill for supporting #MeToo accused Sajid Khan in the most recent season of Bigg Boss.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Sona said, “I’ve been consistent about sticking my neck out for women’s empowerment and fair play over the decade as an artist in the public domain. This means that it’s equally important to call out opportunistic women who are happy to compromise whatever little ideals they have to pursue their ambitions of fame and fortune by siding with well-established male sexual predators. It sets back the fight for a better world and is heartbreaking.” She further went on to add, “In my book of feminism, not all women are saints, nor all men monsters.”
The singer said, “There are some disturbingly popular music videos out there where women are suffering abuse in the name of mohabbat, or are portrayed as gold diggers who need ‘shopping’ to be won over or objectified, barbie dolls while all the men have the swag in all these scenarios. If we expect men to do and be better, don’t those standards also apply to women as well? To read headlines of me ‘lashing out’, ‘slamming’, and ‘taking a dig’ at another woman is deeply disturbing. It is a cliche of the patriarchal mindset.”
Sona has lent her voice to songs like Bahara, Rupaiya, Jiya Laage Na and many others.
(With Agency Inputs)