Playback singer Sona Mohapatra has complained to the Mumbai police about the threatening emails from Madariya Sufi Foundation, a Muslim organisation, which has dubbed her recent music video ‘Tori Surat’ as “vulgar” and said it could trigger communal tension.
In tweets addressed to the Mumbai police, Sona stated, “Dear @MumbaiPolice I have received a threatening notice from the Madariya Sufi Foundation to remove my music video Tori Surat from all communication mediums. They claim that the video is vulgar,will flare communal tensions .I need to know whom to write in my response to at ur end”
“Sufi foundation claims to work for Sufism,peace & universal brotherhood in their threatening notice to me. I ask you & #India , what about the ‘sisterhood’IJ Why is it that in this day & age the women expected to cover up, not sing or dance in publicIJ,” 41-year-old singer asked.
Defending his client, Sona’s lawyer H Vakharia said: “ Sona has made a video based on a poem by Amir Khusro. Certain people said she has hurt religious sentiments since she isn't well dressed. legally she has censor certificate & Board wouldn't have approved it if she had dressed inappropriately”
According to Sona, the MSF and the Nizamuddin Dargah (New Delhi) have an issue with her over the description of the music video, “earthy incarnations of the feminine Divine,” and with “a sleeveless dress and body exposing dancer”, basically with everything woman and free.
In a tweet, Sona said that she had got a threatening email notice from the MSF demanding that she pull out the music video which has been cleared by the Censor Board.
She revealed that the MSF had called her “a regular offender” and has found a five-year old video of hers rendering a Sufiana Kalam ‘Piya Se Naina’ on coke studio, as insulting to Islam because she had exposed her body and playing westernised music.