Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway (2023) :
Movie Review -
Rani Mukerji stars in the female-led drama by Ashima Chibber titled "Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway". It's been a while since we have had an emotionally enriching experience in theaters, and this one is the right choice at the moment. Kajol's "Salaam Venky" was one of the recent examples of the same context, but it was about a natural, or say medical, calamity, whereas Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway is all about a mother's fight against the government and the law, which aren't natural things. The film is an emotionally soaking experience by all means, and that too with the universal subject of a mother's love. Yes, it has its own flaws and overly dramatic moments, but that doesn't hurt the film much as long as you are sure to leave cinema halls with pain in your heart and tears in your eyes.
Debika Chatterjee (Rani Mukerji) is an Indian girl who migrates to Norway with her husband, Mr. Chatterjee (Anirban Bhattacharya). They have two children, Shubh and Suchi (a boy and a girl), whom they love too much. A team of Velfrade officers visits their house for 10 days and submits a report saying that both parents are not capable of raising their children. Debika's world is shattered when her children are taken away from her, and moreover, when even the court does not deliver justice to her. She knocks on the doors of every country to ask for justice and return her children, but none of them help. Rather, she is blamed for being mentally unstable and later betrayed by her close ones. However, the never-ending spirit of a mother keeps her going, and she fights all alone against everyone to get back her children.
Written by Sameer Satija, Ashima Chibber, and Rahul Handa, Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway could be termed a universal film for its diversity over a mother's issue. It has a lot of layers, such as cultural differences, child trafficking scams, feminism issues, domestic violence, women's empowerment, and a mother's undying pleading for her children. Let's take a moment and slap the Norwegian government for such absurd laws in their country. This country should be wiped off the global map for taking away a mother's and her children's rights. Who the hell gave them the authority to decide the bond between a mother and her children? I don't know if they have barred these malpractices, but they should, especially after watching this film. Thanks to the writers for exposing the rubbish laws of the tiny country and challenging the culture and traditions of a country that has a population almost 3000x than theirs. The screenplay is engaging but drags quite a bit occasionally. You can't ignore a few flaws, like a B. Sc. Graduate woman finding English tough, seeing an Android TV in 2011, a man who doesn't know English understanding an English speech of a lawyer in court, and a respected judge giving a seminar that's longer than his final verdict. Nevertheless, the rest of the content clicks enough to get over these mistakes.
Rani Mukerji returns as a female lead in a centric role, and let's all celebrate her grand return to the silver screen. Bunty Aur Babli 2 was a big miss for her, and it was also a multistarrer, so I can say that she returns to the original form right after "Mardaani 2." You know, all those 90s actresses who wowed audiences with their glamorous roles two decades ago have evolved as powerful actors over the years. Rani evolved long ago with performances like "Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat" and "Mehendi." But the recent Rani has been even better with No One Killed Jessica, Mardaani, Hichki, and Mardaani 2. Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway is at that level of performance. She is amazing as a Bengali wife and a pleading mother. One of the strongest aspects of the film is her performance. The film is all about her and her-the majority of it, while the supporting cast of Anirban Bhattacharya, Jim Sarbh, Tiina Tauraite and other has been pretty good.
Coming back to the negatives, the film could have been 15 minutes shorter. The editing is under question here, or maybe the screenplay, which contains additional drama about feminism, family issues and misogynism. People clapped on the scene when Debika slapped back her husband, but what's the use of this strong feminist statement if the next moment she is going to be shown weak and locked in her room? Why didn't Debika stand against her husband and in-laws as aggressively as she fought the Norway cops? The personality development was quite underwhelming, and after all, she was a graduate, not an illiterate, helpless woman, right? These contradictions didn't fit well in the narrative, but if the true story had everything exactly as it is, then the argument is pointless.
Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway has a nice situational music. All three songs come at the right time and with suitable tunes. "Shubho Shubho" is a pleasant one with smart choreography as it deals with various situations and various moods with suitable music and lyrics. "Aami Jaani Re" and "Maa Ke Dil" are both narrative-driven songs that pass by with good scenes. Alvar Kõue's cinematography attempts a few things out of the box, with shaky frames when needed and stable ones when required. The outcome isn't that brilliant, but it was well attempted. Some people believe that a female story needs a female director because a male director cannot bring that additional 'female touch' into the filmmaking. Ashima Chibber proves it again. Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway has some stunning visuals that empower female touch in movies-one of them has to be that portable breastfeeding scene. No male director could have done it the way Ashima has. Well, she lacked a few intelligent elements here but didn't fail to deliver an emotionally powerful film. The judge's chamber scene is truly epic. Emotions speak louder than words there. As a whole, Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway provides enough as an out-of-the-line and hard-hitting film, but most importantly, it delivers a fine human drama filled with pain and sentiments working overtime.
RATING - 6/10*
Rani Mukerji stars in the female-led drama by Ashima Chibber titled "Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway". It's been a while since we have had an emotionally enriching experience in theaters, and this one is the right choice at the moment. Kajol's "Salaam Venky" was one of the recent examples of the same context, but it was about a natural, or say medical, calamity, whereas Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway is all about a mother's fight against the government and the law, which aren't natural things. The film is an emotionally soaking experience by all means, and that too with the universal subject of a mother's love. Yes, it has its own flaws and overly dramatic moments, but that doesn't hurt the film much as long as you are sure to leave cinema halls with pain in your heart and tears in your eyes.
Debika Chatterjee (Rani Mukerji) is an Indian girl who migrates to Norway with her husband, Mr. Chatterjee (Anirban Bhattacharya). They have two children, Shubh and Suchi (a boy and a girl), whom they love too much. A team of Velfrade officers visits their house for 10 days and submits a report saying that both parents are not capable of raising their children. Debika's world is shattered when her children are taken away from her, and moreover, when even the court does not deliver justice to her. She knocks on the doors of every country to ask for justice and return her children, but none of them help. Rather, she is blamed for being mentally unstable and later betrayed by her close ones. However, the never-ending spirit of a mother keeps her going, and she fights all alone against everyone to get back her children.
Written by Sameer Satija, Ashima Chibber, and Rahul Handa, Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway could be termed a universal film for its diversity over a mother's issue. It has a lot of layers, such as cultural differences, child trafficking scams, feminism issues, domestic violence, women's empowerment, and a mother's undying pleading for her children. Let's take a moment and slap the Norwegian government for such absurd laws in their country. This country should be wiped off the global map for taking away a mother's and her children's rights. Who the hell gave them the authority to decide the bond between a mother and her children? I don't know if they have barred these malpractices, but they should, especially after watching this film. Thanks to the writers for exposing the rubbish laws of the tiny country and challenging the culture and traditions of a country that has a population almost 3000x than theirs. The screenplay is engaging but drags quite a bit occasionally. You can't ignore a few flaws, like a B. Sc. Graduate woman finding English tough, seeing an Android TV in 2011, a man who doesn't know English understanding an English speech of a lawyer in court, and a respected judge giving a seminar that's longer than his final verdict. Nevertheless, the rest of the content clicks enough to get over these mistakes.
Rani Mukerji returns as a female lead in a centric role, and let's all celebrate her grand return to the silver screen. Bunty Aur Babli 2 was a big miss for her, and it was also a multistarrer, so I can say that she returns to the original form right after "Mardaani 2." You know, all those 90s actresses who wowed audiences with their glamorous roles two decades ago have evolved as powerful actors over the years. Rani evolved long ago with performances like "Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat" and "Mehendi." But the recent Rani has been even better with No One Killed Jessica, Mardaani, Hichki, and Mardaani 2. Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway is at that level of performance. She is amazing as a Bengali wife and a pleading mother. One of the strongest aspects of the film is her performance. The film is all about her and her-the majority of it, while the supporting cast of Anirban Bhattacharya, Jim Sarbh, Tiina Tauraite and other has been pretty good.
Coming back to the negatives, the film could have been 15 minutes shorter. The editing is under question here, or maybe the screenplay, which contains additional drama about feminism, family issues and misogynism. People clapped on the scene when Debika slapped back her husband, but what's the use of this strong feminist statement if the next moment she is going to be shown weak and locked in her room? Why didn't Debika stand against her husband and in-laws as aggressively as she fought the Norway cops? The personality development was quite underwhelming, and after all, she was a graduate, not an illiterate, helpless woman, right? These contradictions didn't fit well in the narrative, but if the true story had everything exactly as it is, then the argument is pointless.
Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway has a nice situational music. All three songs come at the right time and with suitable tunes. "Shubho Shubho" is a pleasant one with smart choreography as it deals with various situations and various moods with suitable music and lyrics. "Aami Jaani Re" and "Maa Ke Dil" are both narrative-driven songs that pass by with good scenes. Alvar Kõue's cinematography attempts a few things out of the box, with shaky frames when needed and stable ones when required. The outcome isn't that brilliant, but it was well attempted. Some people believe that a female story needs a female director because a male director cannot bring that additional 'female touch' into the filmmaking. Ashima Chibber proves it again. Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway has some stunning visuals that empower female touch in movies-one of them has to be that portable breastfeeding scene. No male director could have done it the way Ashima has. Well, she lacked a few intelligent elements here but didn't fail to deliver an emotionally powerful film. The judge's chamber scene is truly epic. Emotions speak louder than words there. As a whole, Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway provides enough as an out-of-the-line and hard-hitting film, but most importantly, it delivers a fine human drama filled with pain and sentiments working overtime.
RATING - 6/10*