“I feel on top of the world on having received this news,” says singer Sona Mohapatra on her feature documentary ‘Shut Up Sona’ bagging a National Film Award for Best Editing.

The winners of the prestigious awards were announced Monday evening at an event organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. ETimes reached out to the star and producer of the feisty feminist documentary – Sona Mohapatra, who was all praise for film editor Arjun Gowrisariya and director Deepti Gupta on receiving the honour.

“To make a feature-length, 90-mins narrative from 300 hours of footage shot over three years which travelled and followed me across the length and breadth of India, was a gargantuan labour of love and Arjun Gowrisariya is one of a kind with his deep love for the music of India and for my voice- as a performing artist and feminist,” Sona said and added, “He being a more staunch one.”

SHUT UP SONA wins a national Award for Editing, for Arjun!!! Yay! https://t.co/5xacXzmQyz

— deepti gupta (@DeeptiCam) 1616413114000

Sharing her experience working with her director and film editor, she said, “Deepti Gupta the director and Arjun Gowrisariya were the best collaborators I could’ve ever dreamt of. Producing and featuring in this project which I call my love letter to India, is possibly my greatest sense of achievement as an independent artist and woman seeking to express herself.”

My film, #ShutUpSona , directed by @DeeptiCam just won the #NationalFilmAwards2019 for best editing by Arjun Gowris… https://t.co/vZUOVTNc5h

— Sona Mohapatra (@sonamohapatra) 1616417377000

The documentary ‘Shut Up Sona’, was produced between 2016 and 2019. The documentary chronicles Mohapatra’s life between sold-out concerts as she speaks out against sexual harassment and patriarchy in India.

The National Award win is another addition to the awards and critical acclaim the documentary won since it debuted at the Mumbai Film Festival in 2019 and since went on to have a stellar run in 2020 at the IIFR Film Festival Rotterdam. Sona was honoured with the Impact Docs Award in the US for her work on the film.