The True Story Behind The Legal Drama

While "Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway" is based on Sagarika Chakraborty's book, "The Journey of a Mother," there are obviously some differences between what really happened and what happens in the film. In reality, one of the charges against the Bhattacharya family was that the representatives alleged that the parents hit the kids, while this is never spoken about in the film. Sagarika and Anurup split up during the trial, and at one point, Anurup's brother was given custody of the kids. As Sagarika fought for custody of their children, Anurup and his family allegedly claimed she was mentally ill. In the film, Anurup and his family are portrayed as villains, with Anurup's brother only agreeing to take custody of the children for the money.

The Bhattacharya case is far from the last time Norway's Barnevernet has been accused of having too much authority and overstepping. In September 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that it violated the European Convention on Human Rights when it allowed the adoption of a boy without the mother's consent. In 2021, the ECHR ruled that Norway was guilty in six more cases, all involving Barnevernet.

Sagarika is thrilled that the world is seeing and responding to her story. "I hope it will inspire many more parents whose children have been taken away by Barnevernet to fight back," she told the Times of India.