Despite a gut-wrenching true account of a mother’s battle against all odds, Rani Mukerji’s Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway falls short of being a powerful cinematic piece.
Cast: Rani Mukherji, Jim Sarbh, Anirban Bhattacharya, Neena Gupta, Balaji Gauri
Director: Ashima Chibber
Writers: Sameer Satija, Ashima Chibber, Rahul Handa
In the midst of a court proceeding, the judge summons Debika Chatterjee (Rani Mukherji)’s kids, Shubh and Suchi to his chamber. When the two kids arrive in his room, their eyes light up when they see their mother there and what follows next is a shower of warm embraces, happy tears and kisses.
If only Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway had more of such touching moments where actions spoke louder than words!
What’s Yay: Intriguing premise, a few emotional sequences done right
What’s Nay: Sloppy execution, dreary screenplay
Story
‘God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.’ With this famous Rudyard Kipling quote, Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway dives straight into action as we see a lady frantically running behind a moving car in Norway. Minutes later, we learn that her name is Debika Chatterjee whose life has turned upside down after a regular routine visit from Stavanger child welfare centre.
A quick flashback reveals that Debika and her husband Anirudh (Anirban Bhattacharya) are an immigrant Bengali couple who have two kids, son Shubh and daughter Suchi who is a toddler. Their ‘happy’ family life gets disturbed following a complaint against them after which the Norwegian Child Welfare Services decides to conduct regular visits at their house to examine their parenting ways.
Cut to present, it is revealed the kids have been snatched from Debika and her husband by the machinery on grounds of improper treatment after weeks of observation. They even deem Debika unfit as a mother as she feeds her children with her hands, shares bed with them and plants ‘kaala tikas’ on their face to ward off evils.
Devastated by this turn of events, Debika goes to great lengths to regain the custody of her kids.
Direction
Based on Sagarika Chakraborty’s 2022 book ‘The Journey of a Mother’, writers Sameer Satija, Ashima Chibber and Rahul Handa pen down the story of a mother’s agony at being separated from her kids in an alien country and clash of cultures. However, they barely do any justice to the seed of the plot with their one-dimensional characters.
Director Ashima’s flat story-telling turns Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway into a missed opportunity barring a few portions where the emotions trickle right.
The film contains a lot of promise since real-life accounts generally make for a compelling watch. However, Ashima & Co. leave you unsatiated with their butterfingered execution. Instead of poignant restrained moments, they rely heavily on hollow theatrics which drains away some of the colours from the compulsive plot.
Further, the excessive amount of Bengali sprinkled on the dialogues is almost a joykill.
Performances
With an impressive repertoire of films, a seasoned performer like Rani Mukerji always leaves you brimming with excitement to know what’s in store on the big screen. However, in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, the actress is let down by wonky screenplay and messy direction. One wonders if her high-pitched act especially in the first half is to be blamed on the dialled-up melodrama in the writing! Having said that, there are a few fleeting moments where we get a glimpse of the ‘luminous’ artist in her.
Anirban Bhattacharya starts his journey in the film on a propitious note, only to be bogged down by the one-shaded note in his role. In fact, his constant use of the word ‘citizenship’ throughout the film can make for a good drinking game!
The two blonde women who play Velcro agents seem to have received only one word as their brief- ‘smirk’.
Jim Sarbh as the Norwegian representative Daniel Singh Ciupek hits the right note with his performance. Neena Gupta is good in her itsy-bitsy cameo. Balaji Gauri is a crackerjack as Debika’s lawyer.
Technical Aspects
Right from the cold hues of Norway, the bluish-green northern lights to the hustle-bustle of Kolkata, Alvar Kõue’s camera clicks all things eye-catchy. Namrata Rao’s editing works fine.
Music
There are three songs, ‘Shubho Shubho’, ‘Maa Ke Dil Se’ and ‘Aami Jaani Re’ in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, and all of them blend exquisitely in the narrative without breaking the flow of the events.
Verdict
In one of the scenes in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, Debika wearily tells the judge that she will go to any corner of the world to seek justice. While she does succeed in her mission, the film fails to do justice to the true-account of a mother’s heart-wrenching ordeal.
