FILM REVIEW: Mrs Chatterjee vs. Norway (Feature Film, BASED ON TRUE EVENTS)

Featuring notable talents such as Rani Mukherjee, Anirban Bhattacharya, Jim Sarbh, and Barun Chanda, among many others, Mrs Chatterjee vs. Norway is a film based on the real events that shook the nations of both India and Norway. The film follows the Chatterjees, a rather happy Indian family living in Norway. However, one day their children are taken away by the Norwegian government on the grounds that Mrs Chatterjee is an unstable lady incapable of taking care of the children. As it turns out, the instances raised by the Norwegian government while proving her incompetency are basically the cultural differences between Norway and India with respect to child-rearing. For instance, Mrs Chatterjee is criticized by the Court for feeding her kids with her hand, and for putting a ‘tika’ on their forehead. However, the proceeding also labels Mr Chatterjee, the father, as incompetent as well, and over the course of the film, the audience is quickly made acquainted with the fact that he is far from being an ideal father. This sparks added tension in the family, as the Norwegian government’s decision could negatively affect his citizenship application.

Things get further complicated as, in a desire to bring her kids back home, Mrs Chatterjee ends up kidnapping them from their foster care. A rather complicated matter of human rights, that travelled from court to court, across boundaries, finally saw a bittersweet resolution, thanks to the efforts made by the former Indian Minister of External Affairs, Smt. Sushma Swaraj. Even if courtroom dramas aren’t your thing, give this film a try. The dramatization of a rather painful real incident is bound to bring you to tears.