Let’s start at the very end. There is a moment in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, where, during the final courtroom battle, Debina Chatterjee (Rani Mukerji)’s lawyer (Balaji Gauri) has a stare down with the government of Norway representative Daniel Singh Ciupek (Jim Sarbh), imploring the lawyer whether an adoptive parent would love the children as much as Debika. Standing at the witness box, Daniel agrees that Debika’s love for her children is sans doubt. And that moment stays, in many ways validating Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway and lifting the passionate drama of a mother fighting the world for her children to greater heights.
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway – a premise
Directed by Ashima Chibber and starring Rani Mukerji as the titular Mrs Chatterjee, along with Anirban Bhattacharya, Jim Sarbh, Barun Chanda and Balaji Gauri in pivotal roles, the film thrusts you into the middle of the debacle as it recounts the story of NRI Debika who must fight for the custody of her own children after they are handed over to foster care by Norwegian childcare services. Debika is deemed mentally unstable and unfit for the upbringing of her wards.
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway – a review
In ways Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway feels like an epic, pitching the versatile Rani Mukerji’s Debika against the world. A modern-day Mother India (of sorts) Rani excels at the average middle-class Bengali housewife act, who desperately holds on to her cultural roots – passing them on to her two children – even as Norwegian authorities look down upon it as uncouth, and often unhygienic – questioning her morality and sanity – and ultimately snatching the children away for personal gains.
Rani Mukerji’s Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway is not an easy watch. The film grabs you by the collar as it pushes you in media res leaving you breathless, stewing in the emotional turmoil of a mother who is at odds with the government, with the people around her and even with her husband (Anirban Bhattacharya) – who proclaims early on – he is not to be blamed. According to him, it is she who is at fault for being too dramatic and refusing to integrate into the culture of the new land, where, above all, he wishes to get citizenship. As the film progresses, this emotional solitude only increases, drowning both Debika and the audience as she is left at odds in a seemingly unwinnable battle.
Based on the true story of Sagarika Chakraborty whose two young children were taken by Norway, the film does not leave much to the imagination – Sagarika would eventually be reunited with her children – as will Debika – but the effective dramatisation of the events make for a compelling view.
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway – acting
Rani Mukerji shines. She is effortlessly perfect for the role of a young mother – from deranged passion and anger to muted restraints, the film allows the actress to emote in myriad shades. Anirban Bhattacharya shines as the grudging husband, conniving behind his wife’s back and holding his own pending citizenship in a much higher light than the return of his children. Revelation is Balaji Gauri as Debika’s lawyer, whose courtroom monologues will leave you shaken and finally Jim Sarbh’s restrained performance as a lawyer of Indian origin in Norway that becomes the heart of the film. Mention must be made of the legendary Barun Chanda – a Satyajit Ray actor – he still manages to light the screen on fire with his mere presence.
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway – in conclusion
Nothing works in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway – alone. The film works because there is a harmonious coexistence between actors in every scene. Each character is flawed, each character gray and in this murky shade of doubts, anguish and battles – emotions ride high, lending to the film a fervour that carries it through. Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway indeed is a difficult watch, but it is a film which deserves a watch nonetheless.
