Mrs Chatterjee: Screech Fest You'll Wish Stayed Mum

A One-Note Screech Fest That Makes You Wish It Stayed Mum

Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway marks Rani Mukerji’s loudest turn.

Dir: Ashima Chibber

Cast: Rani Mukerji

Playing in: Theatres

AS A WRITER, I have one rule of thumb while judging someone else’s writing. If any piece starts with a random quote, I find myself slowly, but steadily, dismissing it. Before you judge me, my counter argument is you cannot borrow your first words from someone else. After watching Ashima Chibber’s Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, a film so loud that my brain sent a signal to my ear to stop listening, I will be applying the same rule to films. Chibber’s sophomore outing opens with Rudyard Kipling’s overused, Hallmark-esque quote, “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” Subsequently, the film spends an awful amount of time to prove this right but the treatment is so overwrought and heedlessly dialled up that by the end I was left feeling irrationally mad at Kipling.

Levity aside, Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway is based on a compelling real life incident. Back in 2011, an Indian couple in Norway faced an unimaginable tragedy: their children were taken by the Norwegian Child Welfare Services on the grounds of improper treatment. This initiated an uphill struggle as the mother, Sagarika Bhattacharya, fought legalities, cultural barriers and moved countries (literally) to get her children back. In the midst of this, her own marriage broke down. No matter how you look at it, this is a tale of impossible courage emboldened by maternal prowess.

Retelling such a story thrums with promise. But Chibber’s outing is a one-note screech fest that not just refuses to ponder over nuances but also unfolds in the broadest of strokes; as a result the characters are reduced to clichés and the protagonist is minimised to a stereotype.

— ISHITA SENGUPTA

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