Five years after her last release, Rani Mukerji is back to stun in Ashima Chibber’s Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway. Based on the real-life story of Sagarika Chakraborty, an NRI whose children were snatched by Norwegian authorities in 2012, this movie is more than an Indian woman’s ordeal in a foreign country. It is the story of a mother’s fight to retrieve her children amid blatant sexism, racism, and domestic violence, an emotional battle set in the idyllic locales of Norway.
Anirudh (Anirban Bhattacharya) and Debika (Rani Mukherjee) are an Indian couple whose child, Suchi, is snatched by Norwegian authorities in the very first scene. Soon, their elder son Shubh is also taken into custody by Velfred, the country’s child welfare system.
The story then proceeds to show how the couple is scrutinised by Velfred for over 10 weeks, over suspicion of them being unfit parents.
Meanwhile, Anirudh blames Debika for her ‘inability’ to keep a clean house and abuses her when she urges him to share the load. As the fight drags on, Debika finds herself isolated from everyone, most of all her husband, who is more concerned about his citizenship than his wife’s trauma.
Impressive in bits and parts
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway fails to be consistently impressive. The screenplay—written by Chibber, Samir Satija and Rahul Handa—takes creative liberties that make Norwegian authorities appear as complete villains who seem more ludicrous than sinister.
But the script manages to wow in parts. For one, the depiction of domestic violence is refreshingly subtle, with the graphic instances being spoken of, not shown. It highlights, instead, the depressing normalisation of violence in Indian families—even diaspora ones like Anirudh and Debika.
The plot’s focus on European cultural biases against Indian customs—such as feeding children by hand and applying kohl on their foreheads—adds more depth to the story. However, the final court drama appears so late that it takes away from the overall impact this film could’ve made.
Rani Mukerji steals the show
While the story itself has the potential to evoke distress, sympathy and rage, it is Rani Mukerji’s performance that really takes it forward. Her struggles with Norwegian and English bring to mind Sridevi’s stellar performance in English Vinglish (2012).
But there are moments where the Bengali stereotypes are overplayed to the extent that they ruin the impact of her performance. Her Bengali-Hindi accent is a little shaky, but she remains mostly effective, even in parts where she has no dialogues.
Jim Sarbh plays Daniel Ciupek, a court-appointed Norwegian-Indian lawyer who fights for the Chatterjees. Despite a small role, he delivers a solid performance as the pragmatic but understanding lawyer who supports the protagonist when no one does. Anirban Bhattacharya does a great job portraying Anirudh’s condescending, manipulative, chauvinistic and controlling nature—so much so that you end up hating him.
Neena Gupta’s performance as the Indian external affairs minister is mostly blink-and-miss. Her character is modelled on the late Sushma Swaraj, who, along with Communist Party of India leader Brinda Karat, had helped Sagarika reunite with her children.
The film could have been a powerful tale highlighting the power of a mother going against all odds to get her children. But it loses itself in trying to be larger-than-life and commercial.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)