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7 May 2023
At the movies: The Bollywood film "Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway"
Some comments by viewers
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This is a collection of some postings and comments from 19–31 March, made by people who had, over the first days of showing, gone to see the film "Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway" at Norwegian cinemas. The commentators are people who have themselves seen or experienced the Norwegian CPS (Barnevernet) in action and recognise much of what goes on in the movie from their own lives.
Some links have been added by me, referring to people and items which cannot be expected to be well-known to non-Norwegians.
Under the comments I have linked to the trailer of the film and to some other articles of relevance to the film and to the reality behind the film, which is the documentary story of Indian mother Sagarika Chakraborty and her children.
The translations from Norwegian are mine, and misrepresentation of any parts of the original texts are of course my responsibility. The comments in their original form are found in the Norwegian original of this article.
Marianne Haslev Skånland
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19 March 2023
Bjørn Thomassen:
This is a movie that ought to be seen by many! I saw it on Friday.
A grandfather recognised me as I was waiting in the movie theatre. He joined me, said hallo and sat down on a vacant seat by my side as the film started.
This man's grandchildren, two little heartbreakers, were several years ago taken from their parents' home. They never came back.
This happened while I was still senior adviser in Bufetat [regional section of Bufdir] and a member of Fag Team Bergen ('professional team Bergen').
I knew nothing about the case at the time. Later, I have obtained enough documented evidence to confirm that the case unfortuately developed into a classical example of serious failure of care carried out by public authority.
Barnevernet also prevented the children's contact with the grandparents – very decent and well-functioning, ordinary, older people.
We saw the movie together. During the last minutes we held each other's hands. Firm grip!
We wandered silently out of the cinema and nodded goodbye. The movie was food for thought. It reflected easily recognisable scenes even in its culturally highly dramatic form.
Yesterday the grandfather sent me this message:
"Hallo. Good to meet you at Lagunen cinema yesterday. It was a strong movie. It hit especially hard at the point where the case workers congratulated each other when the family lost in court.
Barnevernet is a specialist in splitting up families, and see it as a victory when a marriage or partnership breaks down. If the parents split up when Barnevernet has created fear in the family, Barnevernet starts persecuting the parents separately. They do not stop until the family has been wrecked. What a family has built over many years together, Barnevernet manages to destroy in a few weeks.
Our authorities claim that this movie is fiction. It definitely is not. Our family has no good experience of Barnevernet. We have been completely destroyed by municipal functionaries.
Greetings from a grandfather. Our grandchildren are in our thoughts."
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23 March 2023
Olav Terje Bergo:
I saw the film "Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway" Monday evening in Bergen, Norway, with my wife and my daughter. I admire the clear moral, professionality and compassion of the film. It shakes the very foundation of the corrupt child protection industry in Norway, so the supporters of this industry mobilise against the strong, emotional and factual message of the film.
The content which the film imparts is confirmed by the way the spokesmen for Barnevernet talk about the film.
(Part of a comment in The Times of India)
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21 March 2023
Marius Reikerås:
A cowardly embassy
Ove Knarvik, Suranya Aiyar and myself had made the trip to the Norwegian Embassy in Delhi today, reigned over by Ambassador Hans Jacob Frydenlund. Mr Knarvik wanted to present him with a memory pen on which Knarvik's story, the one relating how his son was stolen, is explained in detail.
An embassy is basically obliged to receive its own citizens, oh but no: We were not welcomed and were never admitted!
In the video, Suranya and Ove tell us what their reaction was.
For that reason: this mirror, as a symbol telling the Ambassador to look himself in the mirror. And these bangles, as a symbol of the cowardice shown by the Ambassador in connection with the launch of "Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway", the Ambassador attacking the mother in the film Sagarika Chakraborty.
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19 March 2023
Jan E. Hansen (in the facebbok group 'Folket vs Barnevernet' ('the people vs Barnevernet'), with an instruction to a commentator: 'Go ahead and share! Everybody else too.'):
I went to the movies for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.
The film is good and it relates a normal Norwegian Barnevern case. It shows the 'case workers' giving the impression of trust, and how they put the parents at loggerheads with each other.
Norwegian CPS is run by what we must call quasi-science. In fact, I do not think they even believe in it themselves.
Norwegian Barnevern has a financial incentive. As far as I know, literal passing of money under the table is rare, BUT!!! it creates jobs, for case workers, other Barnevern employees, so-called 'experts' who do nothing but claim parents to be useless, and judges, who quite uncritically find in favour of the public party, on autopilot.
It should be quite clear to the Norwegian people that there is no political resolve at all to bring about changes in the field of child protection in Norway. Everything is so perfect, you see, and if it is not perfect that is because they are not able to 'reach even more children', whom they are to 'rescue' from growing up safely with their biological parents.
It is also very interesting to observe the way Norwegian authorities try to discredit facts presented in the film. The Norwegian Ambassador to India thought the film should be treated as 'fiction', but, Mr Ambassador, I can put my signature to it not amounting to much 'fiction'! This is reality, and reality twisted so that the parents appear as idiots, crazy arguments being used, like e.g eye contact, or how food is eaten.
Another paradox presented, which is in fact almost a rule in child protection cases, is that mother is mentally unstable and father is violent. Practically always.
Isn't it peculiar?
I give the film a 6. The portrayal of the case workers was magical, precisely like the experience of them I have had myself.
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28 March 2023
Elin Gregusson (small excerpt from a longer article):
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway is probably quite difficult [to explain away], but the authorities have come up with a deluge of their usual arrogance and condescension about Bollywood and about Indians.
Norway's Ambassador to India, Hans Jacob Frydenlund, told millions(!) of readers in the Indian Express confidentially that he himself had, as a father of three, fed his children with his hands and that he and his wife let them sleep in the same bed with themselves. Since Barnevernet did not take action against them, Mr Frydenlund states that it is unthinkable that Barnevernet could have reacted against the Indian couple over such behaviour, in 2011/2012.
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Some shorter quotes from commentators on the internet and on mail, in the week after the launch of the film:
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So now a mate and myself have been to the movies in Porsgrunn and seen Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. It made a great impression on us, but was worth the tears that came as we watched. The film is a good portrayal of the standard approach of the so-called child 'protection' service, and Norway very much gets its deserts!
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Kari wanted to tell me that she and her daughter Anita had been to Bergen yesterday (21 March) and seen the Indian film which takes up what the treatment of children can be like under Barnevernet in Norway.
She told me that they recognised their own story in every scene in the film. It should be seen by all of us!
We can only hope that enough people see it, making it possible to create enough publicity about Barnevernet in Norway. Perhaps our politicians and those working in care professions can "wake up to a new and better life", as author Jakob Sande says.
But honestly I don't think so!
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The inhumanity, lack of empathy and the strategic breaking down of families were clear and recognisable.
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The way she experienced it is frighteningly like what so many in Norway have had happen to them too. Her experiences were also her reality. A reality I see myself in!
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Every seat taken in Ski cinema. I give the film a 4. It shows little of all that goes on in Barnevernet. There is much more shit than the film shows.....
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I listened to NRK's podcast [NRK is the national public radio and tv company] (from 17 March) yesterday. It was not journalism, but non-objective, biased, unethical propaganda for the lack of judgement and the immorality of the authorities in their treatment of children.
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Maybe children and youth are better off growing up in India than in Norway? It looks like human understanding is much more advanced and legal practice is safer ...
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We are far too many with similar experiences in Norway for this establishment to be able to stop criticism in the public space.
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The Norwegian CPS Barnevernet showed themselves to be less than competent in helping an Indian mother of small children at a busy time in the home. To enter the home in order to observe the family, several times, while not contributing care and guidance on the way, and at last taking the children by force, amount to a well-known way of working in Barnevernet.
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I hope this will augur the end of Barnevernet and that the entire world will get to know about the human rights being violated many times a day by 'aunties' with no competence or proficiency and no focus on the best interest of the child.
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(Response to Steinrem in Bufdir, who says:
'The Bollywood film: – Important for us to see how the film portrays Norwegian child protection service' ("Bollywood-filmen: – Viktig for oss å se hvordan filmen fremtiller norsk barnevern")):
It's not the film which portrays them like that, it is the service itself!
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See also
Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway
Official Trailer
Zee Studios & Emmay Entertainment, 23 February 2023
Cecilie Krogh:
Jeg måtte gå ut midt i filmen. Scenene var så gjenkjennbare
(I had to leave the cinema in the middle of the film. The scenes were so recognisable)
Fontene, 21 March 2023
Saad Hasan:
Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway: The real story behind an Indian mother's fight
TRT World, 17 March 2023
Man, Woman, Child ... and the State? Lessons from the True Story behind Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway
From a seminar on the true story behind the film (Fra et seminar om den sanne historien bak filmen)
Syncline Films, on youtube, 18 mars 2023
Mani Shankar Aiyar:
The three women who helped 'Mrs Chatterjee'
The Week, 26 March / 2 April 2023
– : Mani Shankar Aiyar responds to Norway's Ambassador: 'Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway' is not an attack on a country, but a call to reconsider its child protection system
Indian Express, 18 mars 2023
Hans Jacob Frydenlund:
Norway’s Ambassador to India writes: ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’ doesn’t represent the deep care Norway has for families
The Indian Express, 18 mars 2023
Marius Reikerås:
Den norske ambassadøren i India lyver!
(The Norwegian ambassador is lying!)
Barnefjern ('child remove'), 17 mars 2023
Marianne Haslev Skånland:
Some comments to a speech by Norway's former ambassador to the Czech Republic Siri Sletner
at a seminar about Norwegian child protection, 22 October 2018
MHS's home page, 14 December 2018
– : Norwegian non-humans again
Stavanger CPS (Barnevernet) – The India case – and now a Bollywood film
MHS's home page, 22 March 2023
– : Were cultural differences the cause of the India/Stavanger child protection case, in the same way as the Bollywood film relates the story?
MHS's home page, 20 April 2023
Brinda Karat:
Child custody row: Sagarika then, Dharna now
The New Indian Express, 20 mars 2023
Amitabh Srivastava:
Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway – Who Decides The 'Best Interest' of The Child? Norway sees 'factual inaccuracies' in the film
The citizen, 22 mars 2023
Majoran Vivekananthan:
The illusion that all is well in the end
MHS's home page, 5 May 2023
Bjorn Bjoro:
The Bollywood film should wake us up from our white self-satisfaction
MHS's home page, 20 April 2023
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