MUMBAI: Sona Mohapatra on Thursday shot back at Sonu Nigam, saying that by addressing her relationship with a man to describe her identity speaks volumes about his “conditioning and world view”.
Giving a point-by-point rebuttal to Nigam’s comments where he labelled her criticism of his reported defence of #MeToo accused Anu Malik as “vomiting on Twitter”, Mohapatra said the remarks were in “bad taste”.
“To define me on basis of a relationship with another person & not as an individual, going to the extension of memory loss for my name; a gift of patriarchal conditioning.
“To refer to my opinions and stand in the #MeToo movement as ‘vomiting’; bad taste,” she wrote.
In a statement on Thursday, Sonu said, “The respectable lady vomiting on Twitter, is the wife of someone who I consider very close to me, so although she’s has forgotten the relationship, I’d like to maintain the decorum.”
In her response, Sona also said that she refuse to call Sonu as “someone’s papa or someone’s husband or someone’s son”.
“You are yet for me one of the greatest classic film singers of India and someone I have found to be particularly nice to me every time we’ve met for close to a decade and half. In personal and professional settings.
“That you found no other means of experiencing me as a person despite knowing me for over a decade, but as a ‘wife’, speaks volumes, of your conditioning and world view,” Sona said.
The singer is married to composer Ram Sampath and the duo are partners in their music production house OmGrown Music.
She said she will not “defend or behave with anyone in a particular manner basis a personal ‘relationship’.”
“We occupy a public space as artists and it is my duty to stand for what is right. Glad you value your relationship with my partner Ram Sampath with whom you have not only sung songs like ‘Dil Dooba’ in ‘Khakhee’ but others over the years.
“I do not occupy a position of power in your eyes for you to value my worth. Know one thing though, not all relationships are basis, give and take. Some are basis a shared value and belief system. We possibly have none, unfortunate,” she added.
Sona said it is “unbefitting” of Sonu to “hide under bluster, male ego and pettiness”.
She continued, saying that his defence of Malik is “disturbing, horrifying and heartbreaking”.
Nigam was quoted as saying at a media summit over the weekend that Malik, his longtime friend, was accused without any proof and had maintained a dignified silence on the #MeToo allegations.
“Sonu jee, is all the above an indication of someone maintaining decorum & grace? A showcase of your peace loving and non-quarrelsome nature?” Sona wrote.
She said not all cases of sexual harassment and misconduct can be proved in court of law but that does not mean that victims stop calling out the accused persons.
“Doesn’t mean they should be swept under the carpet & the perpetrator go about life without a care in this world. When numerous/multiple parties speak up of a shared trauma against the same person and you refuse to either hear them or show any empathy, know that you are complicit to this lopsided power structure and system,” she wrote.
Malik has repeatedly denied all the allegations. His lawyer told PTI in October that the #MeToo movement was being used for his client’s “character assassination”.
Following the allegations, the music composer stepped down as a jury member from “Indian Idol”, a singing reality show of which he was part since its inception in 2004. (AGENCIES)
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