After ‘Kodaikanal Won’t, rapper Sofia Ashraf has ‘good news’ for Indian women

In the new video, ‘Any good news’, Ashraf belts out lyrics that take down the stinging stereotype that a woman’s happiness is inevitably linked to marriage and babies.

“Kodaikanal Won’t” singer Sofia Ashraf has got a new anthem for urban Indian women.

Sofia Ashraf is an Indian Tamil rapper and singer who rapped the song “Kodaikanal Won’t” in 2015. (HT File Photo)

This time, armed with her ukulele, Ashraf is back with a satirical song on the questions faced by urban women in India.

The 29-year-old singer first took the internet by storm in 2015, when her song about mercury pollution in Kodaikanal from a Unilever-owned thermometer factory, went viral. The song garnered more than 3.8 million views on YouTube and was tweeted by Nicki Minaj.

Read| ‘Kodaikanal Won’t’: Chennai rapper’s video takes on Unilever

In the new video, ‘Any good news’, Ashraf belts out lyrics that take down the stinging stereotype that a woman’s happiness is inevitably linked to marriage and babies.

The Tamil singer plays the dual roles of a mother and daughter In the video. It begins with the grey-haired mother, draped in a south-Indian saree, affectionately asking her daughter, “Molai (Daughter), is there any good news?” ,which, in India, is a euphemism for news of marriage or pregnancy.

The daughter responds by listing out all the insignificant everyday happenings which she personally considers as good news: having a good hair day, being done with her periods, being in line for a promotion and crossing a new level in Candy Crush.

Read|Rapper Sofia Ashraf is back with a song about the Bhopal gas tragedy

But as the mother repeats the question, the daughter’s answers start getting more and more ambitious, including, among other things, flying to the International Space Station, finding the cure for cancer, single-handedly destroying ISIS, helping the Syrian refugee and ending patriarchy.

For every woman who has been embarrassed or offended by the old ‘good news’ question at a party or family gathering, there is some good news: you can now respond with a song tailor-made for the occasion.

The hilarious video is a reflection of how women perpetuate regressive patriarchal ideals that define a woman’s success, ignoring all her other achievements and professional success.