Sona Mohapatra: Needed to express myself

As Shut Up Sona heads to the Rotterdam film fest, singer on how dwindling projects due to her outspoken nature compelled her to make the film

Sona Mohapatra's offering, Shut Up Sona, is set for its international première at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The 2019 documentary chronicles her journey to becoming an artiste in Bollywood, her love for the country, and how she emerged as the face of the #MeToo movement. Deepti Gupta's directorial venture sheds light on her uncomfortable relationship with her country.

The singer-actor tells mid-day that the international event will be special for her for more reasons than one. "I will also perform at the closing ceremony."

Mohapatra adds, "[Three year ago] most doors were shutting on me as a musician, and I had to find a way to express myself as an artiste. The selection at Rotterdam has made me believe that good stories always find a way [to excel]. We are proud to take our film to Rotterdam, where we have been invited to represent India, not only with our film, but also via a closing-ceremony performance."

In Mohapatra's journey, her art and her unrelenting spirit to fight for the good, Gupta found sufficient fodder for the making of a bold movie. "Being invited to Rotterdam is exciting for us. It is also a validation that the story has a universal narrative. With Sona being invited to perform too, [it can be said] that she has achieved a feat that no one else has in 28 years," says Gupta.

The documentary, the singer alludes is irreverently brave, and unapologetic. "This film is about music, art, social change and the clashing of the ancient and the modern."

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