Hans Jacob Frydenlund, Norwegian Ambassador to India, recently sparked controversy by claiming that ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’, starring Rani Mukerji, is a ‘fictional representation’ of a true case.
Now, Rani has slammed the allegations, saying the intent was not to villainize any particular country. Speaking with Hindustan Times, she said, ‘Everybody is entitled to have their own opinion. This film was not really made to offend anybody. It is a true story, and the intention of the film was very different from what was being projected in the opinion that was given. It was about a mother’s journey. The film clearly shows how it’s never the main people who are doing it, but people who are taking advantage of a system. But everybody is touchy about their own country and will try to defend.’
She added, ‘It can’t be a fictional story because my government helped getting the children united with the mother. So, by one person saying something, it’s not really going to affect the larger picture of the film that we wanted to make and the story that we wanted to put out.’
A section of the diplomat’s article for the Indian Express read, ‘It incorrectly depicts Norway’s belief in family life and our respect for different cultures. It is important for me to present the official Norwegian perspective and correct factual inaccuracies, that this film unfortunately portrays. 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’.
‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’, which is based on the case of Sagarika Chakraborty, whose children were taken away from her by the Norwegian government due to irregularities in her parenting, was released in theatres on March 17.
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