Singer Sona Mohapatra recently detailed her experiences filming the documentary Shut up Sona and how it has affected her financially.
As soon as the pandemic hit, it took a toll on people’s health and livelihood, including Sona's,who also faced the crunch and had no means of income nor savings left.
As a result, all her savings went into the making of the documentary but she admits she has no regrets over the matter.
In a chat with Hindustan Times, Sona said, “I’ve always invested in myself and my work, for example, in 2006, at the start of my music career, I sold my first car which was on an EMI to fund my AajaVe video."
"Shut Up Sona is obviously at a whole other level of expenditure and while there was always the option to raise money or pursue funding, I chose to wipe out my savings to make this film without external interference and agendas.”
Mohapatra also spoke out regarding the pandemic and was quoted saying, “Just when we were closing in on a sale for the film, the pandemic threw a lot asunder. While this has made things tougher in some ways, I don’t regret even a second of it. I’m still grateful and optimistic.”
In conclusion, “Being vocal about my social concerns has cost me a lot of money and opportunities but that’s not money worth having in the first place. What we leave behind is what we stood for in our time besides the beauty we create. I have also been naive and sometimes, I’ve been used by people to further their causes, but you live and learn.”
