Singer Sona Mohapatra, who outed Kailash Kher and Anul Malik with her MeToo stories, is out of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa singing reality show as a judge. Confirming the news, Sona tweeted, “Unfortunately I won’t be continuing the journey on the show this year. Yesterday was the last episode I feature in.”
She has not commented more on the reason why she had quit the show midway through the season. Sona was judging the show along with Wajid Khan of Said-Wajid duo and Shekhar Ravjiani and Vishal-Shekhar fame.
So happy to hear that! Unfortunately I won’t be continuing the journey on the show this year. Yesterday was the last episode I feature in. ??? https://t.co/SYbFGVohli
— SONA (@sonamohapatra) November 12, 2018
There are reports that singer Richa Sharma has already replaced her on the show as the only woman judge. The Sunday gone by was the last show of Sona as a judge. Twitter handle MeTooIndia wrote, “Sona Mahapatra, who had called out Anu Malik, and been a prominent voice in #Metoo in the music and entertainment industry is no longer a judge in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Hearing a joint statement will follow.”
Sona Mahapatra, who had called out Anu Malik, and been a prominent voice in #Metoo in the music and entertainment industry is no longer a judge in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Hearing a joint statement will follow. pic.twitter.com/2NcAVyrQ7S
— #MeTooIndia (@IndiaMeToo) November 13, 2018
Anu Malik was sacked as the judge from Sony TV’s Indian Idol show after Sona and other women accused him of sexual predatory. In her earlier tweet Sona had defended her decision to name Malik publicly. She had written, “I called #AnuMalik out first & stand by my statement of him being a ‘serial predator’ along with #KailashKher. Dear #India please do not let these men get away like they hope to.They are counting on short public memory & R confident that very soon it will be ‘business as usual’.”
About Kailash Kher, she had written, “I met Kailash for coffee in Prithvi Café to discuss a forthcoming concert where both our bands were playing & after the usual, a hand on my thigh with lines likes, your so beautiful, feel so good that a ‘musician got you’ (Ram) not an actor. I left not soon after.”
She had continued, “That did not deter Kailash Kher though. On landing in Dhaka & on my way to the venue with the organisers, keeps calling me & when I don’t pick up, calls the organisers phone to get through to me & asks me to ‘skip’ the soundcheck & join him in his room instead to ‘catch up’.”
Sa Re Ga Ma show is broadcast on Zee TV. Sony TV’s rival channel.