Singer Sona Mohapatra has come out in support of Tanushree Dutta amid the backlash surrounding the actress’s controversial reaction to Nana Patekar’s death. In a video shared on Instagram and X on October 9, 2026, Mohapatra questioned why Dutta was being criticised for speaking about her alleged experiences with the late actor, arguing that mourning someone’s death should not require others to remain silent about their past. Her intervention comes after the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) strongly condemned Dutta’s remarks, describing them as insensitive and disrespectful.
Patekar died on October 8 at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest in Goa. While several members of the film industry paid tribute to the veteran actor, Dutta drew criticism for referring to him as “evil dead” in her response. The actress, who accused Patekar of sexual harassment during India’s #MeToo movement in 2018, subsequently defended her comments, saying that her personal experiences had shaped her reaction to his death.
Mohapatra, however, believes the criticism directed at Dutta overlooks an important distinction between respecting someone who has died and expecting a person who previously accused them of wrongdoing to abandon her account.
Sona Mohapatra questions criticism of Tanushree Dutta
In her X post, Mohapatra wrote, “Death deserves dignity. So do the living.” She questioned the expectation that Dutta should stop discussing her experiences simply because Patekar had passed away.
The singer also challenged the idea that death automatically changes how a person’s actions should be remembered. Her pointed question, “Death = Sainthood?”, captured the central argument behind her response.
In the accompanying video, Mohapatra acknowledged that Patekar was a celebrated actor and that people were understandably mourning his death. She clarified that her objection was not to the tributes being paid to him, but to the personal attacks directed at Dutta.
She argued that Dutta had already faced a difficult public battle after making her allegations and should not now be expected to set aside her feelings for the comfort of others. Mohapatra also criticised women influencers and content creators who had joined the backlash, questioning whether publicly humiliating another woman was an appropriate response.
The singer went on to reflect on her own professional experiences during India’s #MeToo movement. She claimed that speaking out had affected her career, recalling how she was removed from a television reality show after filming several episodes. By sharing that experience, Mohapatra attempted to explain why public accusations can carry consequences for women working in the entertainment industry, regardless of the eventual legal outcome.
Her position was straightforward: people can acknowledge Patekar’s contribution to cinema and express sympathy for his family without demanding that Dutta change how she remembers their disputed history.
The controversy brings Tanushree Dutta’s #MeToo case back into focus
The disagreement has reopened a controversy that played a significant role in India’s #MeToo movement.
In 2018, Dutta publicly accused Patekar of sexually harassing her during the filming of a song for the 2009 movie Horn ‘OK’ Pleassss. The allegations concerned an incident she said occurred on the film’s set in 2008. Patekar denied the accusations, and the matter subsequently entered the legal system.
Mumbai Police filed a closure report in 2019 after stating that their investigation had not found sufficient incriminating evidence. In March 2025, a Mumbai magistrate declined to take cognisance of the allegations relating to the 2008 incident because the complaint was filed beyond the applicable limitation period.
Importantly, the court stated that it had not determined whether the alleged incident was true or false. That distinction remains relevant to the current discussion, particularly when public arguments about the case move between the allegations themselves and the legal proceedings that followed.
Following Patekar’s death, Dutta maintained that her reaction reflected what she believed she had experienced over the years. She also referred to the emotional and professional difficulties she claimed to have faced after raising her allegations.
AICWA took a different position. Its president, Suresh Shyamlal Gupta, criticised the language Dutta used after Patekar’s death and accused her of seeking publicity. The association argued that such remarks were inappropriate while the actor’s family and colleagues were grieving.
Mohapatra’s response does not settle those disagreements. Instead, it raises a separate question about whether public mourning should place limits on how people discuss unresolved or disputed experiences involving the deceased.
That is what makes her intervention significant beyond another exchange of celebrity statements. The controversy now involves two different concerns: the expectation of restraint following someone’s death and the right of an individual to speak about alleged mistreatment without facing public humiliation.
For now, Dutta has continued to defend her perspective, while Mohapatra has become one of the prominent voices supporting her right to express it. The disagreement reflects a broader tension that has followed India’s #MeToo movement for years: how the entertainment industry remembers influential figures while also acknowledging the accounts of people who have publicly accused them of misconduct.
