SRF in­fo: Mu­sic at its fi­nest

The Indian singer Sona Mohapatra is not only very well known as an artist and performer, but also for being at the forefront of drawing attention to grievances. At concerts and on social media, she bluntly denounces the ongoing massive oppression of women in India and the discrimination against female artists in the sexist music industry. For this, she is insulted by trolls day and night and even receives death threats. A religious community is suing her because her musical interpretation of an 800-year-old poem is too western and vulgar. And she is repeatedly told that the vocal range and the inadequacy of women are the reason for the lack of female artists in the Indian music industry. Despite the hostility, Sona Mohapatra remains rebellious and also risks conflict with her husband, the composer Ram Sampath, who would prefer if she explained her point of view less boldly.

Deepti Gupta, India's first female cinematographer, directs this film for the first time and accompanied Sona Mohapatra for three years, turning it into an intimate portrait. It shows how hard the fight for equality is in a male-dominated country like India and how much daily energy it takes not to give up the fight.

Repeat from April 23, 2023