Sagarika Bhattacharya, who inspired Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, says watching Rani Mukerji 'felt like reliving the battle'

The upcoming film Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is inspired a real-life case where an Indian immigrant mother ad to fight for the custody of her kids in Norway. The film sees Rani Mukerji play the protagonist, whose life is inspired by what Sagarika Bhattacharya went through a few years. The housewife has now reacted to the film’s trailer.

The trailer of the Ashima Chibber film was released last week. Now, Sagarika Bhattacharya has said how she felt watching the trailer of the film inspired by her life. Reacting to the trailer, 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 added, “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.”

Sagarika and her husband Arup lived in Norway when in 2011, Norwegian Child Welfare Services, known as the Barnevernet, took both her children away, to be placed in foster care till they turned 18. The couple were seen as “unfit parents”. It was only after a prolonged legal battle that they were able to win back the custody of their children. The film dramatises this incident.

Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is produced by Zee Studios and Emmay Entertainment (Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani & Nikkhil Advani). It will release in theatres on March 17, 2023.