Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway

Immediately after the exhausting movie experience that was Kabzaa, I watched the two hindi releases that came out this weekend back to back, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway followed by Zwigato. There is a lot to pack in regarding the films so I’ll first start off with the Rani Mukerji starrer that has been getting polarising reviews and even more shockingly, perspectives that have become largely political regarding this movie. I wondered why there was so much controversy surrounding it. The ambassador of Norway presumably reprimanded a few people post the screening of the film on grounds of maligning the nation whereas Nikhil Advani sticks by the movie, its treatment and the real events that transpired in the life of Sagarika Bhattacharya. The film focusses on Debika Chatterjee and Aniruddha Chatterjee played by Rani Mukerji and Anirban respectively, a married couple living for 12 years in Norway. After consecutive visits by a children welfare organisation, their life completely changes for the worse as their children are taken away from them on the grounds of the household being unfit for their upbringing. The legal battle that the family embarks upon, mostly led by Debika, exploring the foster care system of Norway, the grounds on which the children are taken away, highlighting the cultural differences of immigrants in foreign lands and several arguments for and against the custody of the children forms the basic premise of this extremely compelling and controversial film. The film starts of with the quote, God could not be everywhere and that’s why he made mothers and while most of us resonate with the same sentiment, I feel people bashing the film got ahead of themselves in assuming such a quote is presented to give a free pass to mothers all stemming from the love that they have for their children. The biggest gripe I have with the criticism the film is getting is less to do with the politics involving the two nations but the assessment that Rani Mukerji is hamming her way through the film. Imagine, a woman who is not well versed with the English language, customs of a new nation and has has her entire world snatched away from her on a random day, pragmatism and restrained is the least of her concerns, the constant feeling of anxiety, restlessness and panic consumes one’s being and Rani in my opinion is exceptional in this film, in portraying not only the angst against the system but longing a mother has for their child if taken away in such an unprecedented fashion. The children being taken away become vastly evident as the mother lives comfortably amongst her children, she feeds them with her hands, speaks to them in Bengali, wipes their mouth with her hands, puts a til on their forehead for buri nazar and gets mommy brain in forgetting the toddlers project, all natural occurrences that are nitpicked, analysed and deciphered by the officials. This fear and anxiety is something I assume many immigrants empathise with, while wanting to set up their forever home outside of their homeland. I do have a criticism of the film and its portrayal of the welfare officers, while its important to highlight the cultural differences and the ill intent that may have been involved in the case, the two officers are portrayed as scheming villains, especially on how they react to the way the court case is developing. This sadistic attitude towards the trauma Rani Mukerji is facing was straight out of a commercial masala film, them whispering to each other, almost revelling in the trauma she is facing, this is even further highlighted by a background score further proving the point of their evil intentions. This is also true for the case of the portrayal of Debika’s in laws, all of them having their own vested interests and lacking any form of empathy for what she is undergoing. What I loved about the film unlike other biopics however is that the film sheds light on the couple having far from a perfect arrangement in their household. There are layers brought to the table on why the household may be unfit for the children and there is some validity to the argument. There is not a case of absolute whitewashing by the creators where the protagonist of the film is showcased to not have any flaws as a mother or wife. This especially gets explored as the dynamic between the husband and wife slowly gets unravelled, the husband in constant anxiety of his citizenship and blaming the wife for all the events that they are going through and I have to say, Anirban as the hot headed and patriarchal husband really does match the quality and impact of Rani as a performer. Those well versed with his work in Bengali Cinema would not be surprised one bit! I loved the songs composed by Amit Trivedi as well, Shubho Shubho and Aami Jaani Re really tug at your heart strings and speaking of bengaliness of it all, I did not find Rani and her delivery jarring at all. I am sure most Bengali viewers will have their perspective on the legitimacy of Rani’s accent but its such a tricky job for an actor to speak half broken English, Bengali and hindi throughout the films screenplay while being in her most vulnerable state, the quiver or awkwardness in her delivery I feel is perfectly apt for the dread that surrounds her. One is not capable of perfectly placing their argument in a constant state of panic and I still have to defend Rani and her performance in this film being far from hammy in any way. Rani exclaiming RELAX BOLNE SE HUMKO AUR TENSION HOTA HAI and that is her state throughout the film and convincingly so. There is validity to the argument whether the love of a mother is enough. Whether the lapses in taking of a child have a strong standing in considering alternatives. All of these get explored as Jim Sarbh as the confident lawyer with immense clarity poses his arguments in court. A beautiful scene in the chambers of the court that forms the climax will really be the icing on the cake of what matters the most. I wonder why the film got such polarising reviews! Is it because the film gives credit to the government for streamlining the process of getting her children back. Is it because of Rani and how one personally disagrees with her and some of her opinions, Is it because one has a strong affinity towards Norway and a belief that they can do no wrong. I dont know but I’ll stand by this film and will recommend it to you because it not only boasts of exceptional performances but puts several points of debate in your mind which will account for a great discussion in the comments below. Trust me, however in the current state of most theatrical movies being about escapism and abandon, this one comes as a breath of fresh air!