Who is Sagarika Chakraborty, Indian mother who inspired Rani Mukerji's latest movie ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’

Actor Rani Mukherjee’s new film Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is actually inspired by real-life events and a story of a mother and her struggle to get her children back. The story of movie is based on the life and battle of an Indian mother named Sagarika Chatterjee in Norway. Titled Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway is based on Sagarika’s book The Journey Of A Mother.

Sagarika Chatterjee is a woman who stood up against the government of Norway to fight for the right to be reunited with her children after they were taken away from her and placed in foster care and were told that they will not be returned until the age of 18.

The performance of Rani Mukerji in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway has been inspired by the real-life happenings of a woman named Sagarika Chatterjee, who went through similar struggles when her children were taken away from her.

How the struggle of Sagarika began?

Sagarika Chakraborty married geophysicist Anurup Bhattacharya and the couple moved to Norway in 2007 and gave birth to her first child who turned out to be autistic. Her son Abhigyaan was soon placed into a family kindergarten while Sagarika gave birth to her second child Aishwarya in 2010.

The Birati girl had never ventured out of the country before her marriage to geophysicist Anurup Bhattacharya that took her to Norway. But when her children were taken away by the Child Welfare Services (CWS) in Stavanger – on ground of neglect and ’emotional disconnect’. Sagarika then was a very young mother who was struggling with two children in a foreign country. She took on the Norwegian government in a legal battle till she got her children back.

Sagarika and her husband, Anurup Bhattacharya was seen on Indian television in the year 2012 when the incident happened pleading the Indian government for help. Their children were taken away by the child welfare service in Stavenger, Norway, and the court found reason not to re-unite them with their parents because kindergarten staff and child welfare professionals who were in their home to assist them, labelled Sagarika as clinically depressed and needed help with the children. Sagarika had then mentioned says she has not been tested medically before being termed clinically depressed.

The CWC (Child Welfare Service) then mentioned that Sagarika and her husband Anurup as incapable of taking care of their children. They even labelled her as a mentally sick mother who was not fit enough to bring up her children. The reasons put forward by CWC, Norway was not believable. The allegations against the couple included sleeping on the same bed as their children, hand feeding (which was seen by Norwegian authorities as force-feeding) and also corporal punishment because Sagarika had allegedly slapped the children once. While these things might seem ‘normal’ in the Indian context the Norwegians found it a reason or I would put it as just an excuse to snatch Sagarika’s children from her. These mere cultural differences were blown out of proportion. The boy was nearly 3 years old and the girl around 1 when they were moved to foster care by the Barnevernet, Norway’s child protection services, over allegations of improper parenting.

Anurup too changed sides and he outpoured his marital issues day before the hearing. He said that Sagarika was a source of problem in the family. After the intervention of the Indian government, Sagarika’s children were returned back to India. Sagarika also returned back around the same time. By that time Sagarika and Anurup’s relationship was under severe strain.  But her struggle didn’t end there. She was labelled as mentally unfit and the custody of the children were given to the uncle (Anurup’s brother)  Abhigyan. The children spent one year in a foster home in Norway. In India, they spent nearly a year with their paternal family in another district of West Bengal because custody was given to Anurup’s brother. Sagarika again had to fight the legal battle in India to get back her children and to prove that she was fit enough to take care of her kids.

Sagarika on the film Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway

Sharing her thoughts on the Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, Sagarika said, “It’s hard to put into words how it feels seeing my story being told. Watching the trailer, I felt like I was reliving my battle. I believe it is important for people to know this story and to see how immigrant mothers/parents are treated even today, as is evident from the tragic story in Germany. I’ve been in touch with Ariha Shah’s mother Dhara, whose little girl has been taken away. I implore you all to stand by her, just as I do. My support is unconditional, from one mother to another.”

She further adds, “I want to thank Rani Mukerji for channeling the grief and struggles that I went through to win back my children. She is a mother herself and I thank her for bringing a mother’s painful journey on screen with so much dignity that I broke down while seeing her in the trailer.”

Recently, post the trailer launch of Ashima Chibber’s directorial Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway,’ where Rani Mukherji stands up to the Norwegian government after the Child Welfare Services took her children, #BoycottGermany began trending on Twitter in support of another Indian parent whose infant was taken by the German Child Protective Services.

Produced by Zee Studios and Emmay Entertainment (Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani & Nikkhil Advani), Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway is slated to release in theatres on 17th March 2023.

(With added inputs from agencies)

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