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Sona Mohapatra says all heartbreak songs in Bollywood are ‘reserved for men’

Sona Mohapatra says all heartbreak songs in Bollywood are ‘reserved for men’, gives example of Arijit Singh's Zaalima
Sona Mohapatra says all heartbreak songs in Bollywood are ‘reserved for men’, gives example of Arijit Singh's Zaalima
Sona Mohapatra says she was flabbergasted by the song Zaalima where the female voice only comes in the end and all the rest of the song is for the male singer.
Jun 22, 2026, 06:17:57 IST By Santanu Das Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Sona Mohapatra has been vocal about several issues in the industry, be it sexism or objectification. She recently spoke out on the Peddi controversy, and called out the lack of female agency in mainstream films in India. In a new conversation talking about the state of the music industry that runs in parallel to the film industry, the singer has now shared how the heartbreak songs are ‘reserved’ for the men, with little space for the female voice. Sona Mohapatra spoke about romantic songs being made in Bollywood.What Sona said
In a clip that was posted on Sona's Instagram account, Sona said, “All those heartbreak songs in Bollywood are reserved for the men. Men have heartbreak, men in current times feel love. Because everytime I was called to sing a duet, I somehow have the ending chorus. You must hear this song called Zaalima. It is Arijit [Singh]'s song, and I was called to sing that and I was flabbergasted.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by MBI Festival of Letters (@mbifl)‘What kind of a duet is this?’
She added, “Because the mukhra, antara, mukhra, antara… all of them were taken up by the man. It is not Arijit's fault; he is a great artist. But why is the female coming in the end? My question to Pritam was, ‘Is the man making love to himself?’ What kind of a duet is this? Why do I come in the end? This is a literature festival and freedom of speech is something Kerala has protected so widely so I am taking my chances here. The thing is it is nobody's fault but the system of music in the industry has become so risk averse.” In the comments section of the same post, Sona continued the conversation. She wrote, “This conversation is about representation. If an industry stops creating iconic female narratives, it will eventually stop creating iconic female stars ? Who cares ? Do we india ? Check the comment section of this reel.” She added, "The point isn’t that women never sang heartbreak songs. The point is that Bollywood stopped writing enough of them. An industry that gives 80–90% of its biggest romantic and heartbreak narratives to male voices for nearly two decades should not be surprised when it struggles to produce female music stars of equal cultural scale. This is a conversation about systems, not victims. Count the songs. Then let’s talk?" Zaalima was sung by Arijit Singh and Harshdeep Kaur. The music video of the song is picturised upon actors Shah Rukh Khan and Mahira Khan. It was from the 2017 film Raees. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Santanu Das Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupechaRead More Sona Mohapatra Bollywood Music Arijit Singh Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crickit, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Infographics & much more. Explore now!.Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times. Home/Entertainment/Music/Sona Mohapatra Says All Heartbreak Songs In Bollywood Are ‘reserved For Men’, Gives Example Of Arijit Singh's Zaalima See Less
Sona Mohapatra has been vocal about several issues in the industry, be it sexism or objectification. She recently spoke out on the Peddi controversy, and called out the lack of female agency in mainstream films in India. In a new conversation talking about the state of the music industry that runs in parallel to the film industry, the singer has now shared how the heartbreak songs are ‘reserved’ for the men, with little space for the female voice.
In the comments section of the same post, Sona continued the conversation. She wrote, “This conversation is about representation. If an industry stops creating iconic female narratives, it will eventually stop creating iconic female stars ? Who cares ? Do we india ? Check the comment section of this reel.”
She added, "The point isn’t that women never sang heartbreak songs. The point is that Bollywood stopped writing enough of them. An industry that gives 80–90% of its biggest romantic and heartbreak narratives to male voices for nearly two decades should not be surprised when it struggles to produce female music stars of equal cultural scale. This is a conversation about systems, not victims. Count the songs. Then let’s talk?"
Zaalima was sung by Arijit Singh and Harshdeep Kaur. The music video of the song is picturised upon actors Shah Rukh Khan and Mahira Khan. It was from the 2017 film Raees.
Source: HindustanTimes
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