Singer Sona Mohapatra has thrown her weight into the controversy surrounding the portrayal of Janhvi Kapoor’s character in the Telugu film ‘Peddi’, arguing that mainstream cinema often reduces women to decorative characters while glorifying toxic masculinity in the name of romance.Mohapatra, who is known for her outspoken opinions, shared a video on social media in which she addressed the criticism directed at ‘Peddi’ and her manager Buchi Babu Sana. She said that the public reaction to the film’s portrayal of its heroine gave her a feeling of optimism, as the audience seemed to question old filmmaking tropes.“In the past few days, there has been one thing that has given me strange relief. In our heavily promoted mainstream film, the backlash against the portrayal of a female lead has given me some hope and optimism.
“She seems to have had the impression that some of the directors conducting the interviews were too innocent and some clips would be removed.”While she clarified that she has not watched ‘Peddi’ nor his previous film ‘Pushpa’, Mohapatra said she is aware of the kind of storytelling we often see in such films.“Now, I haven’t watched the latest film Peddi or its mother ship Pushpa, nor did I ever plan to. But to be honest, we all know the formula and template of these films.
The hero always lives a decent life. The heroine is just an extension of that story. Decoration to be sexualized, objectified. Toxic masculinity is called romanticism in such films.She also criticized the way in which some cinematic techniques are used to depict problematic behavior as entertainment.
“Disrespect becomes arrogance. Some low-key action shots, some strategic camera angles, the heroine’s look at me, look at me, look at me type of clothing, and loud background music.
We know the deal. And in most cases, misogyny wins at the box office. But this time something different happened.”According to Mohapatra, the most important aspect of the controversy is that the masses are no longer silent.“What is interesting is that the people of India seem to have expressed their dissatisfaction.”The singer went on to say that many filmmakers still rely on patriarchal narratives rather than creating nuanced female characters with strength and depth.“They hold filmmakers accountable. Are we really tired of these lazy, reductive, pathetic ideas of filmmaking? I hope so. Or maybe we’ll even connect the dots about all the sad news about crimes against women.”“Be it stalking or harassment, the news that comes out every day, child rape, domestic violence. I think people make the connection to how films like this affect attitudes and behaviors in society.
Because often in our films, it’s not the story. Writers don’t have to pay. No problem. Put in the patriarchy.”“Remove the heroine’s agency from the script. It would be a massacre.”Mohapatra then drew a comparison between mainstream commercial cinema and the Kashish Pride Film Festival, the closing ceremony of which she was attending in Mumbai at the time.“And as I say this, I am on my way to the closing ceremony of the Kashish Kheer festival, here in Mumbai.”“A film festival I have been associated with for years. I performed there. I celebrated this festival, I supported it.”While hoping that the festival will continue despite limited resources, she praised its commitment to authentic storytelling.“And what amazes me is this. Kashish still keeps going year after year, despite not having the kind of budgets, star power or machinery that this kind of mainstream cinema has in India.
I am very proud and thankful for that. Because courage and authenticity matter. Because stories about real people matter.”She concluded by expressing her hope that audiences will increasingly gravitate toward honest accounts of superficial hero worship and propaganda.“And I would hope that viewers, whether they are gay, young, old, male, female, or anything in between, will connect with the truth in the end.
Not propaganda. Not a fantasy. Not insecurity dressed up as masculine heroism. Kesheesh’s survival gives me hope. As has the backlash to Bedi, forcing the filmmakers to apologize. Kudos, India.”Describing the audience’s response as encouraging, Mohapatra added, “As someone who has spent his life telling stories through music and songs, I find this incredibly hopeful. Maybe we will demand better stories, better female characters. Is that even possible? And maybe all of this is a sign that we are becoming a better society. I’d like to think so. Sending you lots of love.”
