Artistes need to put issues in the spotlight: Sona Mohapatra
Singer Sona Mohapatra aims to start a debate on women empowerment, call out people within the entertainment industry regarding various issues, and challenge ‘inherited ideas’. To do so, she has produced and starred in a documentary called Shut Up Sona, which has a political view with a musical bend to it. “My documentary is not like your regular kinds. It has humour, music, opinions and a lot of intense stuff, too. It is a political film,” says the singer, who reveals that she produced the documentary because she wants to put her money where her mouth is.
“Three years ago, I reached a phase where I lost faith in the industry as it was not creating music opportunities for female artistes. I never saw myself limited to being a singer or live performer, though I feel blessed with the love I get for my concerts. I see myself as an artiste who goes beyond entertainment. I want to be in
charge of my own narrative and create my own opportunities,” she opines.
Sona is inspired by other “alpha performers” such as Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, who have made their own documentaries and made “feminist statements”.
The documentary recently premiered at a film festival in Mumbai. Sona adds, “I want to get into the conversations about inherited dogmas that we blindly follow about gender, society etc. People ask me, ‘Are you an artiste or an activist?’. They ask me to just be a singer. Hopefully, in a few years, I will show people what an artiste can do,” she says.
The Ambarsariya (Fukrey; 2013) singer adds, “Artistes need to put issues in spotlight and not just sing about nature and love. Being an artiste is not only about getting rich and living the diva life. If I can’t push people to think in a different way, then we will be in a boring staid culture.”
In the documentary, Sona also discusses her music and gives insights on how a music band functions, gender politics that take place and the controversies in her life — including singing a Sufi song wearing a sleeveless outfit, for which she got threatening letters.