"a known serial sexual predator & pervert"
Sona Mohapatra has slammed composer Anu Malik once again, referring to him as a “serial sexual predator”.
Back in 2018, Mohapatra accused Malik of harassment and sexual misbehaviour, playing a part in the international #MeToo movement.
Now, Sona Mohapatra has taken to social media to express her disappointment that those accused of misconduct are still given industry opportunities.
Anu Malik made a recent appearance in Indian Idol 12. The fact that he took part in the show left Mohapatra shocked and upset.
Taking to Twitter shortly after veteran actress Rekha’s appearance in the show, Sona Mohapatra praised her whilst expressing her sadness at Anu Malik’s continued involvement.
Happy to see #Rekha , a fine artist & sparkling woman giving a boost to a sad music reality show on social media. Why sad?What would U call a show that kept a known serial sexual predator & pervert on its payroll year after year?Anu Malik.Doesn’t even deserve a hashtag, #India ?????
— Sona Mohapatra (@sonamohapatra) April 5, 2021
In a tweet from Monday, April 5, 2021, Sona Mohapatra said:
“Happy to see #Rekha, a fine artist & sparkling woman giving a boost to a sad music reality show on social media.
“Why sad? What would U call a show that kept a known serial sexual predator & pervert on its payroll year after year?
“Anu Malik. Doesn’t even deserve a hashtag, #India.”
Twitter users seemed to sit on both sides of the fence regarding Sona Mohapatra’s tweet.
One user agreed with her, saying that Anu Malik should have stepped back from the music industry altogether. The user said:
“So basically, Anu Malik is shown leaving the show due lack of audience ethics in the show, I would be happy if he would have stepped down the music industry because he lacked the work ethics.
“I wish he was so disappointed for himself, when he harassed women on the name of work.”
However, others were quick to defend Anu Malik as the allegations against him have not been proved.
Another Twitter user said: “Accusation is not the same as a conviction. He should instead sue you for defamation.”
Anu Malik previously judged Indian Idol. However, the show replaced him due to the allegations of sexual misconduct.
Sona Mohapatra alleged that the music composer made multiple random phone calls to her, and referred to her as ‘maal’ (‘hottie babe’). She said:
“Subsequently, Anu (Malik) used to call up randomly, at strange hours, leave missed calls or once in a while, if I picked up, [he would] awkwardly talk incessantly about strange things.
“I stopped taking his calls because I felt [there was] no need to tolerate this for the hope of singing a song for him. [It] was in 2007 – 2008.
“It’s been really long and I just remember feeling awkward and uncomfortable.”
Sona Mohapatra’s husband Ram Sampath also confirmed his wife’s allegations against Anu Malik.
Alongside her, Neha Bhasin and Shweta Pandit accused Malik of sexual misconduct.
However, the charges against him were dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Indian Idol is now judged by Himesh Reshammiya, Vishal Dadlani and Neha Kakkar.
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