After years of hiatus, Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji is back with a bang as her upcoming movie Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway trailer was released on Thursday. As soon as the Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway trailer was released, critics and fans lavished praise on the actress and hailed the makers for bringing content that is emotional and riveting at the same time. Directed by Ashima Chibber, Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway stars Rani Mukerji, and Anirban Bhattacharya in the lead roles, while Neena Gupta and Jim Sarbh will also be seen in pivotal roles. Made under the banner Zee Studios, Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway is being endorsed as a true story revolving around a Bengali couple living in Norway. Rani Mukerji plays the character of Devika Chatterjee who is living a happy life with her husband in Norway along with her two toddler kids. However, her children are snatched away from her by child protective services of Norway saying that the couple was not looking after their children properly. However, child protective services came to this conclusion because of the unawareness of Indian culture in Norway. The services came to this conclusion after they witnesses Devika Chatterjee (Rani Mukerji) raising her children according to Indian culture meaning- feeds her kids by hand, sleeps with them in the same bed or puts ‘nazar’ teekas on her kids. All this, according to them, is enough to separate a mother from her children. However, Mrs Chatterjee won't give up. She moves courts in Norway and in India to fight for her rights and her children, with or without the support of her husband, who is more concerned about his citizenship status.Now, the question arises who is real Devika Chatterjee on whom Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway true story is based on?
Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway True Story
The answer is Sagarika Bhattacharya. Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway is a true story based on a Kolkata couple named Sagarika and Anurup Bhattacharya living in Norway when their two children were snatched from them by Norway's child protective services. For the unversed, on 11th May, 20211, Norway's government-run Child Protective Services took away Sagarika and Anurup Bhattacharya's two children on May 11 this year, saying they were not being brought up properly. The matter went to court, which decided on November 30 that the two children Avigyan, who's two-and-a-half now, and Aishwarya, who turned one on December 6, will be placed in separate foster homes till they are 18. And their parents can meet them only twice in a year for one hour at a time. Following this, the couple appealed for help to the Indian government and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Who were Sagarika and Anurup Bhattacharya?
As per reports, In 2007, geophysicist Anurup Bhattacharya married Sagarika, and the two moved to Norway to start their new life. In 2008, Sagarika returned to Kolkata when she became pregnant for the first time with Abhigyan, and would remain here for a year. In this period, her child began to show “autism-like” symptoms. The two returned to Norway in 2009 to join Anurup. By 2010, the couple placed Abhigyan in a family kindergarten and Sagarika became pregnant with her second child. Because Anurup was working long hours, she spent a lot of time alone with the boy. At this time, Abhigyan began to show “concerning” characteristics, wherein he would start banging his head on the ground whenever he was frustrated. Being heavily pregnant and weak, soothing Abhigyan became tougher and tougher for Sagarika. To put things in perspective, Norway has an extremely strict child protection system, and a strong history of blanket regulations for all citizens living in the country, irrespective of cultural differences. For example, even a mild slap in the region is illegal.
In November 2010, a team from the CWS showed up at Sagarika’s house after “receiving disquieting alerts about Abhigyan and his relationship with mother”. However, they left without further action upon seeing that she was pregnant. Next month, Aishwarya was born, and Sagarika took on a slow recovery process. At this time, Abhigyan began showing more signs of frustration when he would watch his sister be breast-fed, and taking care of the two kids, while managing a home while her husband kept busy with his job, got increasingly taxing for Sagarika. Eventually, the kindergarten where she was sending her children began sending out alerts to CWS, and she was asked to sit for Marte Meo counselling for being “disorganised, unpunctual, lacking in structure and unable to establish a proper daily routine for herself or her family”.
On 11 May 2011, Sagarika left her son in the kindergarten and returned home for a meeting scheduled with the social worker and two others, where an argument reportedly broke out between the two parties. One of the care workers took Aishwarya under the pretext of taking her out for a walk till the situation cooled down. Some time later, the care workers called up the parents and informed them that both children were now in CWS custody. For two days, Anurup and Sagarika were forbidden from seeing their kids. Two days later, when they went to the police station to see their children, an emotional Sagarika was unable to contain her outburst, which only made things worse for the couple.
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway release date: When & where to watch Rani Mukerji starrer film
In November that year, the local County Committee on Social Affairs ruled in favour of the CWS, which was adamant that Sagarika should not get custody of her children. Abhigyan and Aishwarya were separated from their parents and placed in foster care. Anurup and Sagarika were allowed only three visits per year, for a duration of an hour each. All follow up appeals by the parents fell on deaf years. By this time, Sagarika’s marriage began to deteriorate as well. In early 2012, the news hit headlines across India and Norway, and the Bhattacharyas put forth their side of the story.
In February 2012, it announced that the children would be handed over to Arunabhas Bhattacharya, the children’s uncle and an unmarried dentist. Meanwhile, Sagarika and Anurup’s marriage had broken down, and an ugly custody battle was rearing its head.In April that year, in a small win, after intervention by the Government of India, the Norwegian court handling the case allowed the children to return to India, under the condition that they would live with Arunabhas. But the battle was far from over for Sagarika, who filed a petition with Burdwan’s (West Bengal) Child Welfare Committee to have her children transferred to her care. She alleged that her husband’s parents had been reluctant to let her visit her children, and that the kids were not being looked after. The Child Welfare Committee seconded this claim in their report. In November 2012, Sagarika was declared psychologically fit to bring up her children.
Notably, in 2005, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed concern "at the number of children removed from families and put in foster homes in Norway. It also said Norway must protect the natural family environment and send children to foster homes as a last resort in the best interests of the child.
Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway release date
Previously, the film was slated to hit the theatres on March 3, 2023. Produced by Zee Studios and Emmay Entertainment, the film is shot extensively in Estonia and in some parts of India. Rani Mukerji is also coming up with her memoir, which is scheduled to release on her birthday, March 21, 2023.