India, June 8 -- Director Buchi Babu Sana's sports action drama Peddi has come under intense scrutiny over the portrayal of Janhvi Kapoor's character, Achiyyamma. Many questioned the hypersexualisation of its female lead and zooming in on her body parts, even as the male lead describes her face's beauty. Singer Sona Mohapatra has now reacted to the controversy and said how the template of mainstream commercial cinema does not give any agency to female characters and objectifies them.

Taking to her Instagram account, Sona made a video speaking about the issue. She began, "For the last few days, one thing has given me a lot of relief, surprisingly. One of our heavily promoted mainstream film has been called out for its portrayal of the her...