Mumbai, Oct 9 — Playback singer Sona Mohapatra has come out in support of actress Tanushree Dutta, who was criticised for her remarks on the demise of actor Nana Patekar.
While the actress offered her condolences to the bereaved family of the actor, she said that the news of the actor’s death would affect her professional commitments.
On Friday, Sona Mohapatra took to her Instagram, and shared a video of herself talking to the camera. She defended the actress and her anger.
She said, in the video, “I've practically earned a PhD in being the most unpopular person in a room, not because I enjoy it, nobody does, but because I've never mastered the art of keeping quiet when something is deeply wrong. So here goes. Nana Patekar passed away yesterday. A celebrated actor, people are mourning him, understandably so, I have no issues with that. What's disturbing me is the way people are attacking Tanushree Dutta. Seriously, what do you expect from her? This woman spoke up about her sexual harassment on sets with this gentleman, fought an exhausting battle, faced public humiliation and professional consequences, and now she is expected to forget her experience and perform what for you? Grief. That'll comfort you”.
She further mentioned that some of the loudest voices attacking the actress are women influencers, content creators, “chasing their little moment in the sunshine”.
She shared, “Is humiliating another woman your idea of engagement? I was amongst the working artists at that point of time, during India's #MeToo movement. I was removed from a national television reality show because other working women who are really not wanting to have any say in the game, nobody wants to take any chances. Nobody really spoke up at that point. But after shooting nearly 19 episodes, I was thrown out. I know what speaking up costs a woman. And people ask, why didn't you go to court? Where is the proof? Do women go to work wearing hidden cameras in such situations? Does harassment conveniently happen before witnesses? #MeToo happened because power, fear, and retaliation made speaking up so difficult. And India, here is my question. Why do we associate old age with virtue and death with sainthood? Growing old doesn't make anyone morally infallible. Dying shouldn't erase uncomfortable chapters of someone's life. You can celebrate an artist's work, mourn his passing, and offer his family compassion”.
She went on, “But you cannot demand that a woman rewrite her own history to make your mourning uncomfortable. So you are entitled to your grief. Please go ahead and cry. Please put up your reels of all the great straight-forward stuff he has said because only men are celebrated for being downright rude, not women. Tanushree Dutta is entitled to her account of what happened. And if your compassion requires humiliating a woman who spoke up, perhaps, I mean, it's definitely not compassion”.
“It's hypocrisy. Death deserves dignity. So do the living. Please note. Guess what? In other news, Anu Malik is being platformed on big live stages. Some festival is by my own breath and people actually like, did not think twice, have amnesia. He is back in the industry in every possible way. So short memories, you all (sic)”, she added.