Exclusive! Sona Mohapatra: I am not fearless, but what sets me apart is that I am not afraid of failure

She is an accomplished vocalist who has always been vocal about several issues and has paid the price for being honest. Over the years, Sona Mohapatra has built quite a loyal fan base thanks to her many hit songs and live performances.

In a recent interview with OTTplay, she openly admitted that she lost out on projects after speaking out against prominent names from Bollywood like Anu Malik and Kailash Kher. Later in the same conversation, Sona opened up about how, despite all her struggles, she is living her dream and working on something new that she will soon reveal. 

With a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA in marketing, before beginning her career in music, Sona worked with advertising agencies and marketing brands.

However, her dream since she was a child has been to become an artist.

Looking back at her journey and transformation, Sona told OTTplay, "I’m still a little girl who’s living her dream, so I’m grateful every day. Having said that, I’m always looking ahead, and that takes up most of my headspace."

"Six years ago, it was my obsession to make a film on my journey. That resulted in ‘Shut Up Sona’, which went on to win several awards and is now proudly streaming on ZEE5. Now, I have a new obsession, which I will reveal in due time," she said.

Shut Up Sona is a documentary directed by Deepi Gupta that was screened at several international film festivals. It won the National Film Award for Best Editing.

When asked what makes her so fearless, Sona said, "I am also afraid. The life of an artist is filled with insecurities, and there’s a constant battle with anxiety. The one thing that I can say makes me stand out is that I’m not afraid of failure. I’ve failed gloriously and often, but as a performer, you learn that failure is the best teacher and preparation is the best mentor. So, I don’t take failure personally, and I prepare as much as I can."

Sona recently sang two songs for the Sanya Malhotra-starrer Kathal, which is available to stream on Netflix.