Director: Aashima Chibber
Cast: Rani Mukerji, Jim Sarbh, Neena Gupta and others
Where: In theatres near you
Rating: 3.5 stars
Filmmaker Ashima Chibber debuted with Mere Dad Ki Maruti (2013) that starred Saqib Saleem, Rhea Chakraborty and Ram Kapoor and was decently acclaimed for its quirky writing and fresh comedy. Back in the day, when female filmmakers were trying to deal with existential crises, Ashima made a slight impact with her storytelling but remained away from the mainstream scene since then.
In 2023, she announced a collaboration with an established name Rani Mukerji, who is not only a powerhouse of talent but also a firm believer of quality over quantity unlike her contemporaries. Based on a real life incident, Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway is a tight slap to the Norwegian government, which is unaware of the deeply-rooted Indian traditions and considers it as regressive.
Debika (Rani) moves to Stavanger, Norway with her two children Shub and Suchi just to fulfill her supremely patriarchal husband Anirudh’s dream. In order to get the citizenship, Debika and Anirudh go through the legal process of assessing their eligibility. During this process, Norwegian officials find their two children unsafe at home and take them away to the foster care as per the law, and of course, against the wish of Debika. And, thus starts Debika’s fight to get back the custody of her children.
What a young mother of two infants (Sagarika - real name of the woman) must have gone through when the government confiscated the kids under cultural charges? Ashima’s film definitely evokes anger, empathy and pride over a nation that is so culturally diverse but she forgets to engage the viewers with her taut writing. Film tends to lose its charm here and there, especially before the climax.
However, over-dramatised narrative isn’t always the necessity in telling real life incidental stories but the intent is, and Ashima does it well. A story of a mother and her triumph over odds always work in the audience's favour— Mom (2017), Maatr (2017), Taare Zameen Par ( 2008) are few such examples.
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway is yet another testimony of a glorified motherhood but in a subtle way. A certain community may or may not raise their voice and point fingers at the portrayal of their culture, lifestyle, language, demeanour etc. Primarily, this film is a story of a woman and a mother, who belongs to a particular community from Bardhaman, a small city in West Bengal and around 100 kilometres away from Kolkata. Cultural portrayal has always been a highlight in our Indian films — good or bad, which lets so-called social media experts decide.
Rani has proven her strength as an artiste time and again. She knows her age, audience, body type etc. so well. Being a Bengali herself, she imbibed a lot from her mother and not in a very stereotypical caricatured manner— that’s what a firecracker performance looks like. Jim Sarbh, who plays a lawyer is sincere, Neena Gupta as late Sushma Swaraj is convincing in her short role. Anirban Bhattacharya, who plays Mr Chatterjee is honest and delivers a believable performance.
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway is a compelling watch but if you are looking to suit your entertainment palate, then you might want to reconsider. Overall, its a decent film that is high on emotional quotient.
