Walking a mile in a mother’s shoes

A still from the film, `Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway`

After completing 25 years in the film industry, what could give an actor creative satisfaction? For Rani Mukerji, it was the retelling of a mother's struggle for the custody of her children from the Norwegian Child Welfare Services (CWS) - Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway - a film directed by Ashima Chibber and produced by Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani under the banner of Emmay Entertainment.

Sagarika Chakraborty

Set to release on March 23, 2023, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is inspired by the story of Sagarika Chakraborty whose children were forced into child services in Norway - a country that is extremely strict with its child protection system. Chakraborty, with the help of the Indian government, finally won the custody battle after a year-long struggle.

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For her prep, Mukerji caught up with Chakraborty to intricately understand her struggle. "Sagarika was [deeply] involved in the creative process of the film. Rani and Ashima met Sagarika [who now resides in Noida with her children] to discuss her journey from a young mother to a strong woman, who refused to give up. Rani wanted an insight into Sagarika's personality and character," informs a source. The first schedule of the film was shot in Estonia and the last one concluded in India.