'Shut Up Sona' review: Compelling, uncomfortable watch

Shut Up Sona

Documentary (Zee5)

Director: Deepti Gupta

Rating: 4/5

Honest confession: I have found it hard to like Sona Mahapatra, the person. I love Sona Mohapatra, the singer. I have thought, uncharitably I now admit, the plain-speaking artiste often heedlessly crosses the thin line between being frank and brash and is unduly aggressive and prickly in her tweets and interviews. I might even have muttered to myself 'Shut up, Sona' once or twice — which, of course, makes the name of the documentary terribly apt.

We are so conditioned to think of artistes, especially singers, as amiable, genial personalities happy in a world of their own with no political opinions whatsoever that it takes a documentary or two to open our eyes to our false notions and prejudices.

'Shut Up Sona', which chronicles singer-performer Sona Mohapatra's travails against a society that is unflinchingly misogynistic, patriarchal, narrow-minded and biased, is a compelling though uncomfortable watch. It not only makes you question yourself but is also depressing. Depressing because it shows, starkly, how tiringly relentless an individual (am not even talking gender disparities here) has to be, especially in the current milieu, to simply expect to be treated with respect and accorded the courtesy of expressing an opinion, not to mention the space for creative freedom. But Sona is dogged, if nothing, and we see her fighting for all this and more in the hour-long documentary.

Ace cinematographer Deepti Gupta's camera follows the feisty singer, almost stealthily, as she dashes off angry emails to organisers of music fests who consistently ignore women performers or animatedly discusses with her husband and composer Ram Sampath the ramifications of a complaint against her for her interpretation of a Sufi number. Sampath comes across as the wise voice of reason; a gentle foil to Sona's rage against an unjust world.

Interspersed are high-adrenaline shots of the singer on stage in flouncing skirts and majestic capes, performing with refreshing abandon and sudden moments of hush as she gazes out at a river in quiet contemplation or whizzes past a setting sun pensively humming a tune under her breath.

'Shut Up Sona' might be self-indulgent in parts but never is it dishonest and deserves to be watched just so that the next time you begin disliking a person for their outspokenness, you pause. And think.