Indian Idol 11: Sona Mohapatra SLAMS Sony Entertainment For Using The Theme Of Sexual Harassment For Commercial Gain

The Anu Malik and Sona Mohapatra spat has been in the news for the longest time. It all started when Sona accused Indian Idol judge Anu Malik of sexually harassing her and only ended when Sony Entertainment Channel removed Anu as a judge on the show after the major protest and backlash.

While this was a victory in itself, Sona Mohapatra wasn’t quite done with the issue. After continuously being open about her opinions on Anu Mali, Sona has now even slammed Sony Entertainment Channel for using sexual harassment as a tactic to promote their show.

Sona took to Facebook to write a long post highlighting a recent incident where a contestant forcibly kissed Indian Idol 11 judge Neha Kakkar. Sona called out Sony TV and the makers of its singing reality show Indian Idol 11 for using that viral video for promotional purposes.

Sona Mohapatra wrote, “Sony TV taking Anu Malik as a judge was a planned, considered & devious choice. They wanted to ride on his infamy for publicity, eyeballs & attention. That their marketing strategy included a contestant forcibly kissing a female judge & that clip making it to the show edit & also ‘made’ viral confirms this intent. Using the theme of ‘sexual harassment’ for promotion & commercial gain is an all-time low & in a country where women have very little agency & choice, it is especially disgusting.”

Sona concluded by asking composer and Anu Malik’s co-judge Vishal Dadlani if he intended to quit the reality show after this or not. She said, “@vishaldadlani, still part of this sickness or are you ready to quit? How much money is worth being part of this deathly swamp, I ask.”

For the uninitiated, after Sona Mohapatra accusations and her request to remove Anu as the judge, the veteran singer had issued a statement saying that he was innocent and would go to court to resolve the issue, He had written, “It has been over a year that I have been accused of something that I haven’t done. I have been silent all this while as I was waiting for the truth to surface on its own. But I realise that my silence on the matter has been misconstrued as my weakness,” he wrote, adding that it had taken a toll on his and his family’s mental health and left him “traumatised, and tarnished my career. Being a father of two daughters, I can’t imagine committing the acts that I am accused of, let alone do it.”

Sona slammed Anu for this statement and advised him to go to sex rehab. Tanushree Dutta, who brought the #MeToo wave in India also applauded her courage and said, “I want to stand up, raise my hands up and applaud Sona Mohapatra along with others for fighting the good fight against Anu Malik’s reinstatement in Indian Idol.”

National Commission for Women has also considered Sona’s appeal and has said that they would be taking action against it.

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