Unpopular Opinion: Rani Mukerji's National Award Win For Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway Is Disappointing, Shefali Shah Deserved The Honour For Three Of Us

In the recently announced 71st National Film Awards, veteran actress Rani Mukerji was declared the recipient of the Best Actress In a Leading Role award. With a career spanning about 3 decades, Rani is considered one of the icons of Bollywood and her credentials as a performer cannot be questioned, however, this year’s win feels disappointing.

Also Read: 'Ladka Aur Ladki Sirf Dost...': B'wood Friends That Stayed Platonic

Why Rani Mukerji’s performance in Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway was not award-worthy

Based on the real story of Sagarika Chakraborty, who fought with the child welfare system of Norway for the custody of her children is inspiring. But in the movie, Rani’s character lacks nuance. Instead of carefully scrutinizing the culture clashes of India and Norway that labels her as an unfit parent in the eyes of Norway’s child welfare department, her character is almost blindly passionate and wrapped up in lazy tropes.

Yes, the script is partly to be blamed here, it is way too eager to make her the ‘underdog hero’. The villains are almost cartoonishly evil, be it her in-laws or the Norway government officials and every emotion is highlighted by ear drum-tearing background score. 

But Rani Mukerji, given her experience, could have elevated the character by empathising with her instead of turning her into a victim that garners sympathy. An educated and self-assured woman who can stand up to her abusive husband and in-laws when time calls for it, she is surprisingly naive when it comes to navigating the legal challenges. She begs and cries and cries and beg with an unrelenting lack of control on linguistics. A native speaker herself, Rani’s Bengali in the film is broken which is surprising for a character whose linguistic identity is very solidly established in the film. Not just that, her Hindi and English are also broken (again, two languages we know Rani is fluent in)  which begs the question what language is Debika comfortable in? She gives in to the melodrama of the film whole-heartedly - there is no room for nuance or grit, everything is painted in high-pitched broad strokes. As long as it manages to be a tear-jerker, all else is forgiven.

For a performer of Rani’s stature, this feels inadequate at best. 

Why Shefali Shah deserved the award for Three of Us

Just like Rani Mukerji, Shefali Shah’s talent needs no introduction. Her character in Three of Us shines exactly where Rani Mukerji’s character fails - nuances and pitch. Three of Us is a much-quieter film but feels more impactful because of the performances, especially that of Shefali Shah.

Shefali Shah plays Shailaja Desai, a simple woman living a quiet life in Mumbai with her husband. As she is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she is suddenly consumed by an urge to visit a sleepy Konkan town, Vengurla, where she spent her adolescent years. In Vengurla, she reconnects with her past, life, first love, guilt, joy, innocence and everything in between. Shah’s performance mimics the coastline of Vengurla, quiet and hauntingly beautiful.

The beats of the film are not conveyed with bombastic dialogues, there are just quiet conversations where the camera is a gentle observer, and in doing so it captures the layers of complex human emotions.

Why National Film Awards need to be more discerning

Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway and Three Of Us are worlds apart in their treatments and that is fine – in entertainment there is space for both. But there are already popular award ceremonies hosted by several magazines and media companies that focus on the louder, more mainstream entertainment. But the National Film Award is arguably the most prestigious film award in the country – it needs to be more discerning. 

Also Read: Raanjhaana AI Ending Is A Total Abomination And Unacceptable To Fans

Even the comparison between Rani Mukerji and Shefali Shah feels narrow, there are surely stunning performances in lesser known regional films or smaller films that do not have a big advertising budget that we do not know about. It is the job of the National Film Awards committee to bring out those talents and give them the recognition they deserve.