Sona Mohapatra is not at all happy with Shehnaaz Gill. The singer, in a series of tweets, has criticised Shehnaaz after fans praised her “act of respect” at an award show. Shehnaaz was about to sing when she heard the azan prayer. She decided to delay the performance. While fans liked the gesture, Sona Mohapatra wasn't impressed. In her post, the singer wrote about Shehnaaz's support for #MeToo accused and Bigg Boss 16 contestant Sajid Khan. Back then, Shehnaaz, in a video message, wished the filmmaker all the best for the show. “Meri support aapke sath hai. All the best! Rock it brother. [You have my support, brother] Keep entertaining us and please don't fight,” she can be heard saying in a clip shared on Twitter. Pointing at Shehnaaz's video, Sona Mohapatra wrote, “All the Twitter adulation for Shehnaaz Gill's act of ‘respect' today reminded me of her [Shehnaaz] ‘support', ‘reverence' and ‘glorification' of a multiple accused sex offender and pervert Sajid Khan when he was platformed on National TV. I Wish she had some respect for her sisterhood.” The singer, in the hashtag, added “#MeToo.” Sona Mohapatra shared her #MeToo story in 2018 when the movement was at its peak in India. Back then, she accused playback singer Kailash Kher and music composer Anu Malik of sexual misconduct.
Sona Mohapatra also came up with a reply for those who were trolling her for the Shehnaaz Gill comments. The singer said that she doesn't know “what Shehnaz's particular talent is as of now, apart from low-brow reality TV fame.” She tweeted, “Dear trolls trying to stand up for yet another starlet like Jacqueline, I don't know what Shehnaz's particular talent is as of now, apart from low-brow reality TV fame. But I do know the modus operandi of women of convenience, shortcuts who bust the good fight for a role/money.”
In a follow-up post, Sona Mohapatra added, “Do also share such details dear news portals using my tweet to advertise/amplify the Shehnaaz starlet next new movie with the multiple #MeToo accused Sajid Khan. Using my tweets as PR pegs for your publicity dear Bollywood is an old trope and one that I recognise well.”
Sona Mohapatra also said that she has “dealt with much worse in the past.” Her tweet read, “Whoever is the ‘SM agency', please know that while I don't have 1 who pays a bunch to harass your client in return, I have dealt with much worse in the past. Gangs who were on the payroll of the Bigg Boss himself? Invest to continue the fake trend Shehnaaz Wins Lokmat Award instead.”
Last year, Sona Mohapatra slammed the makers of Bigg Boss 16 over Sajid Khan's participation in the show. Quote-tweeting a post by TV anchor Janice Sequeira on Sajid Khan's Bigg Boss participation, the singer wrote, “This is Sajid Khan, now on a reality TV show. Then there is Anu Malik, judging a music reality show on TV, for children no less. Kailash Kher? Celebrity judge on TV. All called out by many, many women in #MeToo. Indian TV channels, executives are indeed a depraved and sad lot.”
Meanwhile, Sajid Khan, at the grand premiere of Bigg Boss 16, revealed that he had stepped down as the director of Housefull 4 due to the #MeToo allegations.