Yesterday afternoon, ETimes caught up with her at Yash Raj Studios for a meticulous chat about the film as well as about her journey so far.
The interview was done in-camera. Click the video below to watch it:
Snippets from the conversation that took place:
Was ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’ your most challenging role to date?
I won’t put it that way, but yes, as a movie, this is my biggest challenge. Believe me, I couldn’t believe what Nikkhil Advani told me on the phone when he called to suggest this. That was the time of the pandemic; he called in January 2021 and we were all not in the best of minds. I think he was trying to sell me the movie by telling me some dramatic and silly things.
After we talked, I searched the Sagarika Bhattacharya story on the Internet. And, it was all there, covered by the Indian media in 2011. I wonder why I didn’t know about it, despite being an Indian citizen. That is activation. I immediately decided that this story needed to be told.
Your three most difficult scenes in the movie?
I won’t be able to specify three scenes. I think every scene is a dark. And I don’t place myself as a mother in any of the scenes. I didn’t have the courage to do that. Mind you, not only one Sagarika has to suffer in this way. The overall feeling took over me, the story and writing was magical.
I don’t think anyone else can take on this role….
Thank.
Did you receive messages from the media praising your efforts in ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’? I walked out of the media screening and saw that most of the critics looked pretty dazed…
Yes, this movie is something that blows you away. As an Indian, you will be appalled. As an Indian, one would not be able to understand that one’s children could be separated from him. But then, truth is stranger than fiction.
Do you have to gain weight to watch this movie?
Yes, because I am playing a mother who is still feeding her baby. It’s important to me to look real. It was a deliberate attempt on our part to make it look real. We didn’t want to compromise to make it Hindi, so you’ll find Hindi, Bengali, English and Norwegian available. People tend to use their mother tongue when they are full of emotions and ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’ is full of emotions.
But that bit of language switching doesn’t act as a deterrent in ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’, unlike some films that are confusing when their space is filled with non-Hindi dialogues…
I’m glad to hear that.
You’ve had a great career. And, this is the same woman who turned down ‘Aa Gale Lag Jaa’ when Salim Khan invited her. Why did you turn down that movie?
Because I was very young and film was not a career path that I wanted to choose or thought I could do. My family is a movie family and so it’s natural to get involved in acting. But contrary to what many people think, not every family in the film is well off. There are also screen goddesses like Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi and Juhi Chawla at their peak. And, I feel like I have a very different voice, plus I don’t think I can dance or act as well as them..
Your voice has been voiced in a few movies during your early days in Bollywood…
As a newbie, you don’t have much choice. Filmmakers make decisions to improve their films. So yes, but only in ‘Ghulam’ my voice was voiced. In ‘Ghulam’, there’s a question mark in my voice about whether it’s good for a female lead opposite Aamir. I learned that in order to improve the movie, my voice was added. It hurts me but I don’t make a big deal out of it. But I still feel like my soul is not in ‘Ghulam’.
Soon I was at ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. Karan Johar asked me if I had any problems with the dubbing. I say no’. He asked me if my first movie ‘Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat’ had my own voice over, and when I agreed, he said that he liked my voice and wanted me to do it.
After a lull from 2006 to 2011, ever since ‘No One Killed Jessica’ came out, you’ve become the hero and heroine of the movie. Can you even do a ‘Talaash’ today, I wonder…
I wanted to do that because it excites me to play all kinds of roles. Not necessarily the central character. I wanted to play an equally important role in the story. I don’t want to be a part of a role or a movie that I disagree with or that doesn’t touch my heart. ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway’ is more than just a mother’s love. It also brings you closer to your home country.
End by talking about your mother who inspired you to play Mrs Chatterjee…
What inspires me about my mother is that she has not changed in the last 50 years in Mumbai. She is very proud of her Bengali roots. And, I’m so proud of what she is and what she is. She is always on my side.
