Norway’s Ambassador slams Rani Mukerji's Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway for 'completely false' depiction of his country

Rani Mukerji’s new release Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is a harrowing tale of how an Indian mother fights the entire legal system and administration of a foreign country – Norway – to get back her kids. The film is inspired by the true story of Sagarika Bhattacharya. The film has opened to good reviews, with particular praise for Rani’s performance.

However, Norway’s Ambassador to India – Hans Jacob Frydenlund – has taken an exception to the film, saying that it presents a ‘completely false’ narrative about his country and contains ‘factual inaccuracies’.

In an op-ed for the Indian Express, the ambassador wrote, “It is important for me to present the official Norwegian perspective and correct factual inaccuracies, that this film unfortunately portrays.” He added that the film takes a lot of creative liberties in depicting the case. “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,” he added.

Frydenlund added that contrary to what is shown in the film, Norwegians too feed their children with their own hands and read them bedtime stories. He gave his own example and said he had done the same for his daughters. “It becomes unfathomable to me when I see a repeat of false narratives. It worries me to imagine that our Indian friends will think Norwegians as cold-hearted tyrants, which we are decidedly not,” the ambassador then added.

Frydenlund hoped that the film will not paint Norway in an unfavourable light and emphasised that the film is a ‘fictional representation’ of a true event. “I sincerely hope this movie will not discourage Indians from coming to Norway. I hope this film will be seen for what it is, and I trust in the viewers to understand that this is a fictional representation. For those involved, there is no denying that the experience was traumatic,” he concluded.

Directed by Ashima Chibber, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway also stars Anirban Bhattacharya, Neena Gupta, and Jim Sarbh. The film was released in theatres on March 17.