Rani Mukerji- starrer, Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway is finally out in theatres. The movie sheds light on an immigrant mother’s custodial battle with Norwegian child welfare authorities, who take her children away on the grounds of improper parenting in the year 2011. Based on the real-life story of Sagarika Chakraborty, an Indian mother who lived with her family in Norway, the movie is inspired by Chakraborty’s book, The Journey of a Mother. The movie is directed by Ashima Chibber, and Mukerji plays the titular role.
While scores of fans empathized with the hapless situation, the stringent Norwegian child welfare policies also came under the radar upon the movie’s release. However, the Norwegian government isn’t too pleased with the portrayal, and the country’s ambassador Hans Jacob Frydenlund has addressed the alleged factual inaccuracies in the movie.
Rani Mukherji’s Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway has released in the theatre. The trailer pointed towards a moving story of a mother’s indomitable courage. The story is based on a true case of Sagarika Chakraborty, who lived in Norway with her family. One day the child protection services takes away her children by stating that she is an unfit. She later penned her ordeal on a book, The Journey of a Mother, on which director Ashima Chibber based her film. While fans could relate with the emotions of the helpless mother, the uncaring attitude of Norway also came under the spotlight through this film. But Norway doesn’t feel the same and the ambassador Hans Jacob Frydenlund has a long reply to this situation. He wrote that that the perspective of his country should also come out and the factual inaccuracies have to be corrected. Mother’s love is not different The trailer shows that the country is not able to accept how an Indian mother raises her child and thus strict actions are taken. But defending this he writes, “The film projects cultural differences as the primary factor in the case, which is completely false. Without going into any details of this particular case, I categorically deny that feeding with hands and sleeping in the same bed would be the reason for placing children in alternative care. Not in this case and not in any case. It worries me to imagine that our Indian friends will think of us Norwegians as cold-hearted tyrants, which we are decidedly not.”The Norwegian Child Welfare ActHe focuses on the fact that the country wants what is best for the kids living there. The rights of the children always are prioritized over their parents’ interests. He adds, “In Norway, we value and respect different family systems and cultural practices, also when these are different to what we are accustomed to. But we have zero tolerance for violence in any shape or form. An occasional slap, however, will not automatically lead to the removal of the child from its family. In such cases, the parents will be offered help and guidance from the child welfare service on other parenting practices that benefit the child.”He concludes by writing that he hopes that this doesn’t discourage Indians in any way. More than 20,000 Indian citizens are living there and make up for the biggest immigrant workers. What happened to the family involved in the case was unfortunate but a decade ago after mutual understanding the case was solved. Lead Image: Zee Studios‘Norwegians Are Not Cold-Hearted Tyrants’
Citing how certain aspects of the movie project Norwegians in a negative light, and Norway as ‘an uncaring country’, Frydenlund says, “The film projects cultural differences as the primary factor in the case, which is completely false. Without going into any details of this particular case, I categorically deny that feeding with hands and sleeping in the same bed would be the reason for placing children in alternative care. Not in this case and not in any case. It worries me to imagine that our Indian friends will think of us Norwegians as cold-hearted tyrants, which we are decidedly not.”
The Norwegian Child Welfare Act Has ‘Zero Tolerance For Violence’
He further explained how the country’s governing bodies have tirelessly worked towards ensuring that the rights of the children always are prioritized over their parents’ interests. “In Norway, we value and respect different family systems and cultural practices, also when these differ from what we are accustomed to. But we have zero tolerance for violence in any shape or form. An occasional slap, however, will not automatically lead to the removal of the child from its family. In such cases, the parents will be offered help and guidance from the child welfare service on other parenting practices that benefit the child,” he adds.
What needs to be noted is that while the incident has been an unfortunate occurrence, the arrangement was reportedly carried forward on the basis of a mutual understanding between the parties involved. Norway currently boasts an immigrant population that comprises over 20,000 Indians.
Lead Image: Zee Studios
