Real life "Mrs Chatterjee" Sagarika was declared 'mentally unfit' to raise children
Sagarika Chakraborty, based on whom the movie has been made, has authored an autobiography "The Journey of a Mother" narrating her legal battle. The book has details of the struggle of Sagarika when her world came crashing down, few years after she became mom to two kids, as Norwegian government forcibly removed them from her care. The book was published in 2022.
Improper parenting: The allegation Norwegian government put on "Mrs Chatterjee"
She is blessed with two kids.
However, things go different when her kids are forcibly taken away from her on the pretext of improper parenting with examples like beating, feeding with hands, etc.
In the movie, Rani Mukherji plays the titular role of "Mrs Chatterjee" and Anirban Bhattacharya plays her husband.
In real life, Sagarika Chakraborty moved to Norway with her geophysicist husband Anurup Bhattacharya in 2007. In 2008, the couple welcomed their first child Abhigyaan, who later showed signs of autism. In 2010, Sagarika gave birth to Aishwarya.
In 2011, the Norwegian Child Welfare Services, known as the Barnevernet (another name for child protection) took Abhigyaan and Aishwarya away to be kept in a foster home.
The Norwegian government said it had the couple under observation and deemed them unfit for raising kids.
What were the allegations?
The Norwegian government had alleged that "Mrs Chatterjee" fed her kids using her hands which is force feeding and is considered to be improper parenting.
The Barnevernet who had the family under observation said that the couple beat the kids and this comes under corporal punishment.
The shocker was while these activities seem normal for Indians, the Norwegian government has strict laws for child protection. The cultural difference between the two countries did not deter the Norwegian government to take a step back while implementing it on an Indian couple.
The battle of custody took a toll on the married life of “Mrs Chatterjee”.
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The kids were handed over to their uncle and grandfather
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After this, Sagarika approached the Burdwan Child Welfare Committee for custody of her children who gave the verdict in her favour but it was not enforced by the police.
It was in January 2013, Justice Dipankar Dutta said that Sagarika should get the custody of her kids and gave the uncle and grandfather to have visitation privileges.
It was alleged that Sagarika had influenced the police to pick up her kids from their uncle's place
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"It was a desperate attempt of a mother in distress but the court does not want to draw proceedings against her," Justice Dipankar Dutta had said.
"Mother can do anything for her children"
In a video shared by the makers Sagarika says, “I don't know if I am a good mother or a bad mother, but I am a mother. Mother can do anything for her children. Rani mam thank you, aapne toh mera dil jeet liya (Rani Mukerji has won my heart). I am so happy."
She said that the film has justified her real life story.
The movie has already received 7.4 rating on IMDb and as per reports the box office collection is Rs 10 crore so far.
Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is streaming on OTT platforms right now. Viewers have praised the acting skills of Rani Mukherji, Jim Sarbh, Anirban Bhattacharya who play the lead roles in the movie. This fierce custody battle of a mom against Norwegian government has left everyone emotional.
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