One of India’s biggest Bollywood powerhouses, Rani Mukherjee starred in Ashima Chibber’s Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, currently streaming on Netflix. The biographic-drama film debuted on the silver screens in March before making its way to the streaming platform a month ago.
Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is inspired by a true story about a married couple who hailed their way from India to Norway, and battled the custody of their children who were taken away and sent to foster care by ‘Norwegian Child Welfare Services’. They viewed their parenting style to be inappropriate and they are unfit to raise their children, although the practices are deemed to be typical in the Indian culture.
“Diversity doesn’t break up our society. It enriches it. So, let’s embrace it.”
This film stirs some sensational conversations given that as soon as it is being screened, a tonne of criticism and questions bombarded the Norwegian government, to the point where the Ambassador of India to Norway had to issue a press statement to clarify the pressing matter.
There is an aphorism by the Greek philosopher, Sophocles that goes, ‘Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life.’ I personally believe that this aphorism perfectly encapsulates the film’s entire storyline and Rani Mukherjee’s terrific performance as the star of the show.
Just like how the children are the anchors that hold a mother to life, Rani’s performance as a mother who endured forced separation from her children is the anchor that holds the audience to the film. Her portrayal of the character exudes heavy melancholia in the souls of the viewers. The viewers will gradually be immersed in Rani’s portrayal of the character and the emotions would be amplified and jumbled up as the story progresses.
However, the credit must also go to the writer and the director for such a well-written story and excellent narration that impact Rani’s performance. A great performance won’t just work without a clear projection towards the audience of the events that are taking place throughout the story.
The pace of this film is slightly dragged by a few unnecessary scenes, impaired by the editing. There are shots by the cinematographer that are done only on an average basis and are not visually cinematic enough to elevate the film’s viewing experience.
We even have a homegrown saying here that goes ‘a mother’s love transcends heaven, while a father’s love is eternally timeless.’ Although Mrs Chatterjee’s husband is portrayed as a merciless father figure, Mrs Chatterjee’s father on the other spectrum embodies ‘an eternally timeless father’s love.’
Stream Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway now on Netflix.
Yours truly,
Mat Don.
Visit my Youtube Channel if you want to watch another Indian film review from me.
