The Bollywood actress disclosed during a speech at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023 that she had previously kept this painful chapter of her life private, but that the COVID-19 pandemic took the life of her second child five months during her pregnancy. The 'Black' fame actress claimed that discussing her experience prior to the movie's release or during its marketing campaigns would serve as promotional strategies, according to popular news reports.
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The popular news reported quoting the actress, “Maybe this is the first time I am making this revelation because in today’s world every aspect of your life is discussed publicly, and becomes an agenda for talking about your film to get more eyeballs. Obviously, I didn’t speak about this when I was promoting the film because it would have come across as me trying to speak about a personal experience that would propel the film…so, it was around the year when COVID-19 struck. It was 2020. I got pregnant with my second baby at the end of 2020 and I unfortunately lost my baby five months into my pregnancy."
Nikhil Advani, one of the producers of ‘Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway,’ allegedly called Rani Mukherjee within ten days of her loss.
She added, “After I lost my baby, Nikhil (Advani) would have called me probably like 10 days later. He told me about the story and I kind of immediately… not that I had to have the loss of a child to feel the emotion but sometimes there is a film in the right time of what you are going through personally to be able for you to connect with it instantly. When I heard the story, I was in disbelief. I never thought in a country like Norway an Indian family would have had to go through."
As an Indian, Rani Mukherjee expressed her outrage that this was happening to an Indian mother. Mukherjee claimed that the heartbreaking true story of Indian couple Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya served as the inspiration for her most recent movie, ‘Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway.’ The Norwegian child welfare authority removed their two children after objecting to the way they were being raised.
The Bollywood actress criticised the Norwegian government's action and asserted that "nobody can question that" because every mother and every culture has their own unique approach to parenting their children.
Mukherjee claimed that neither the film's director nor its producers were aware of her personal tragedy—the death of her child. "When they see this interview, they will be quite shocked," she continued.
In addition, Rani Mukherjee acknowledged that it would be quite challenging for mothers to witness ‘Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway’ and thanked the audience for their support.
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Almost 12 years after the Bhattacharyas' struggle began, Ashima Chibber's film ‘Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway’ was released on March 17, 2023. Following a diplomatic dispute between the two nations, Norway granted Anurup Bhattacharya's brother custody of the kids.