The real Mrs Chatterjee thrilled over nat'l award win
2
Kolkata: Rani Mukherjee's winning the National Award for Best Actress for her powerful role in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway is no less a win for Sagarika Chakraborty. The movie is based on the custody battle of the feisty young mother from Birati for her two children against the Norwegian govt.
'I am excited and happy at this win. This powerful role that Rani Mukherjee portrayed is about a mother's war against the might of a foreign country and later against the in-laws back in the country. This is about women empowerment," said Chakraborty, who is currently based in Noida as a software engineer.
Chakraborty's custody war for her kids hit the headlines both in India and Norway in 2012. She ventured into a foreign country after she tied the knot with geophysicist Anurup Bhattacharya, which took her to distant Norway, where her two children, Abhigyan and Aishwarya, were born.
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In May 2011, Child Welfare Services took the two children away, citing neglect and emotional disconnect with the parents. Sagarika was branded mentally unfit to look after the children—the son was two years old, and the daughter was only four months old. Under Norwegian rules, the two kids would be in the custody of a foster care home until they attained 18 years of age.
A two-year-long battle followed, during which Sagarika had to run from pillar to post.
With help from rights activists and the Indian govt stepping in, the children were finally allowed to come back to India. By this time, the couple's marriage broke down. She had to fight a court battle again and undergo a medical test to prove that she was psychologically fit. The Calcutta High Court finally gave the children to her custody in Jan 2013.
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway was based on this real roller-coaster ride, which Sagarika herself wrote about in 'Journey of a Mother'.
"There are many more twists and turns in that journey of mine which cannot be encapsulated in a movie that is about two hours and 15 minutes. I am hopeful of a sequel on those untold stories, which I have started penning," said Chakraborty.
On a personal front, Chakraborty recently embarked on a new chapter and tied the knot with a fellow software engineer. The son is now a class X student, while the daughter is studying in class IX, being looked after by maternal grandparents in Birati.
"The whole struggle has made me stronger to believe in focus, hard work, and perseverance," she added.
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