Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language legal drama film written and directed by Ashima Chibber. The film stars Rani Mukerji, Anirban Bhattacharya (in his Hindi film debut), Neena Gupta, and Jim Sarbh. The film is inspired by the real-life story of Sagarika Chakraborty and Anurup Bhattacharya, an Indian immigrant couple whose children were taken away by Norwegian authorities in 2011.
The film was theatrically released worldwide on 17 March 2023 and received mixed reviews from critics. Nonetheless, for her performance, Mukerji won several accolades including the National Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics), and the IIFA Award for Best Actress.
Plot
The film follows Debika, a Bengali Hindu immigrant who lives in Stavanger with her husband Aniruddha, son Shubh and five month old daughter Suchi. Two Norwegian Child Welfare Services "Velferd" employees visit them regularly on being reported by the Chatterjees' Norwegian neighbour before separating Shubh and Suchi from Debika during the last visit. This decision is based on a culture clash caused by an alleged misinterpretation of Debika's behaviours.
The Chatterjees are told that they are unfit to hold custody of their children, so Debika decides to win back custody of her children. However, the Chatterjees lose the case due to prevailing Orientalist, cultural imperialist and racist mindset of the Norwegian jury. Debika is branded as mentally unstable and unfit to parent the children. At the Norwegian child shelter, Debika fears the children would be subjected to brainwashing in order to make them forget their Indian identity so that they can be easily integrated into the Norwegian society. Soon Debika learns that the child welfare service is supposed to be a scam to extort from immigrants.
In a second hearing, a former Norwegian child welfare employee corroborates as a witnesses systemic biases against immigrants. Even though, her case is dismissed. Next, she learns of the children's foster location and takes them away to Sweden but is soon caught at the border. Debika is extradited back to Norway, facing charges that further complicate her case. Aniruddha, under pressure from the system blames Debika and divorces her, prioritizing his citizenship.
Debika relocates to India, where she enlists the help of lawyer Vasudha Kamat, her brother-in-law, and Abhijeet, a judge. She sues the Norwegian government through diplomatic channels, highlighting human rights violations. The case gains media attention, drawing support from Indian authorities and exposing flaws in Norway's handling of her children's welfare. Norwegian agents then attempt to botch the return of Debika's children, ensuring that even if the children leave Norway, they cannot be in Debika's care. In a high-stakes final court hearing, Debika testifies her strength as a mother and the cultural misunderstandings that led to the separation. The court rules in her favor, pressuring Norway to return the children. Debika reunites with Shubh and Suchi and live with her parents, once again united as family.
Development
Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway is the first Indian film to be shot in Estonia. The film was announced by Rani Mukerji in March 2021. The film also marks the Hindi film debut of the Bengali actor Anirban Bhattacharya.
The film is inspired by the real story of Sagarika Chakraborty and her husband Anurup Bhattacharya, an Indian couple living in Norway whose children were taken away by the Norwegian Child Welfare Services, whom the parent's claim had objections against parenting habits that are considered typical in Indian culture.
Filming
Principal photography began in August 2021. The first production schedule took place in Estonia and was completed by 21 September 2021. The film was wrapped up on 18 October 2021.
Theatrical
Mrs. Chatterjee Vs. Norway was theatrically released on 17 March 2023.
Music
The music of the film is composed by Amit Trivedi, with lyrics written by Kausar Munir.
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 13% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.7/10.
Zinia Bandyopadhyay of India Today gave the film 3.5 stars out of five and said, "The best thing about the film is, undoubtedly, Rani Mukerji’s performance. It is not a light watch, but something that is compelling and emotional. However, by the end, the film feels a bit stretched." Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3 stars out of five and said, "It is a hard-hitting drama and is laced with the career-best performance of Rani Mukerji." Monika Rawal of Hindustan Times said, "It remains a true-to-heart account of a gut-wreching story of a mother, but there are so many layers you wish the director dug deeper and explored with the main character."
Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com said, "Instead of feeling her desperation, despair or extreme acts stemming from a mother's primal need to protect her brood, what comes through is hollow theatrics." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 1.5 stars out of five and said, "It is an overheated affair that sucks the air out of an intrinsically moving story that deserved infinitely better." Udita Jhunjhunwala from Mint Lounge said, "It was hard to root for the Chatterjees in a film that has greater recall as a tear-soaked Bollywood drama than a recreation of a real life human-interest story."
Box office
The film collected ₹3.22 crore on its opening day with a release on 500 screens. The collections saw a 77.95% jump on the second day with the film collecting ₹4.55 crore. On the third day it earned ₹4.91 crore taking its first weekend collection to ₹12.68 crore. As of 20 April 2023, the film has grossed ₹36.53 crore worldwide with grossing 745K Norwegian Krones over the weekend, the film has become the highest grossing Bollywood film in Norway. It later became the most-watched South Asian film in Norway with 8356 admits.
