Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway - Critical Race

Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway 

2023, Hindi 

Directed by Ashima Chibber 

Stars Rani Mukherjee, Anirbha Bhattacharya, Jim Sarbh, Barun Chaddha, Balaji Gauri 

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐

The question begins from the onset, what would have caused the Norwegian Government to confiscate two small kids from their parents and repeatedly refuse to return them. Is it really as trivial as feeding them with her fingers rather than a knife and spoon?

There is so much that this movie is hinting at but consciously avoiding, perhaps because Sagarika Chatterjee's book does the same. Ms. Mukherjee'antics are supposed to be how a mother would normally be under these circumstances. If that were true, then, Brother!, we have some serious problems. 

Rhyme and reason are hidden behind accusations of racism from the government and chauvinism from the husband. 

Mr. Bhattacharya could only offer a few Norwegian words to a character that was no more than the typical Indian husband who prefers his wife to remain barefoot and pregnant. 

Even the Norwegian actors serve the same role, too dumb and cold hearted to understand the emotions of a Hindustani Naari. One wonders whether other Indian mothers would understand a woman flailing and screaming like a banshee in public, or sitting out all night on a downtown curb. Albeit, we must also consider why a romantic, modern husband would want to break his wife's hand, or why he would pin and threaten his colleague while others looked on at work. 

The one who does work brilliantly in this movie is Mr. Sarbh, playing an Indian - Norwegian with dignity, commitment and compassion that makes him stand out from the other characters, who are largely cardboard cutouts to an equally shallow story.