Margarita with a Straw

Margarita, with a Straw (2014) is an Indian film written and directed by Shonali Bose and Nilesh Maniyar.

Kalki Koechlin plays Laila, an intelligent young woman who is gifted in many ways. The only thing that could hold her back is her cerebral palsy. This medical problem is not shown to us as a beautiful young woman with a limp. Laila's body is twisted, she must use a wheelchair, and she needs help in many different ways. She's fiercely independent, but her cerebral palsy keeps getting in the way of her life.

Ultimately, Laila moves to NYC, to go to college. She arrives in the middle of winter. Seeing NYC in winter through a foreigner's eyes was a revelation. The city isn't just cold--it's threatening. However, the first New Yorker with whom Laila interacts is a bus driver in one of NYC's kneeling buses. He is friendly and helpful, and that's a revelation too.

Most of the movie takes place in New York City, and Laila adapts well to her new situation. She succeeds academically, she falls in love, and she's happy. I had expected endless psychological and mechanical obstructions. However, Laila's enthusiasm for life keeps these frustrations at bay. The romantic problems are harder to overcome. How Laila copes with them is the major plot theme.

I need to make special mention of Kalki Koechlin as Leila. She is so convincing as a person with cerebral palsy that I had to check her biography to make sure she did not have this condition. It would be interesting to see an actor with cerebral palsy playing a starring role in a movie. However, Kalki Koechlin doesn't have cerebral palsy. It's hard to imagine how Koechlin could convince us that Leila has cerebral palsy. Koechlin's portrayal shows incredible acting skills. My compliments to her on her great performance!

We saw this movie on the large screen as part of ImageOut, the superb Rochester LGBT Film Festival. It will work almost as well on the small screen.

'Chune Chali Aasma' singing in my mind, with a subtle smile on my face; gratified and moved, I walk down the stairs of the multiplex.

A fantastic story, elegantly told, powerfully acted and excellently directed is something, I would refer to as VARANASI (a dialog in the film), which is lot of noise but in peace, if nothing else.

This Margarita is spilt all over me; and is definitely intoxicating. Sometimes less is more and Margarita with a straw is MORE.

Bravo! MargaritaWithAStraw In a society where disability has always been invisible and unable to provide for differently-abled people, MWAS is refreshing movie that throws light on the very fact that they are there to be found, normal like us.

Many pluses to the film; exceptional heart wrecking story, which is at the same time elevating, keeps you smiling all the time. There is some very modern and captivating music, beautiful lyrics, aptly lensed and direction is splendid.

There is a scene in the movie where the band performs "Dusokute" (which means in her eyes in Assamese - a rock piece by joi barua) which Laila writes & composes, wins an inter collage competition. While they announce the trophy with a special reference to the disability but for ability of Laila, the expression Kalki delivers and that rage in her action, made me shed my first tear.

Where our writers sometimes fail to execute one just challenge or difficulty to the protagonist effectively, Margarita's script writer and director have convincingly put in multiple challenges. A teenager, Laila (Kalki Koechin) on wheelchair with cerebral palsy, aspiring writer and musician, a normal middle class family, studies abroad, a blind pakistani gay girlfriend (foreign balamwa), mother's cancer, her raging hormones and zeel for life and the count goes on.....whuff !!! Kudos.

Talking about the technicality, its a definitive directors baby (Shonali Bose) with some exception scripting. Unconventionally narrated for the loose ends of the continuity of story has been marvelously draped by sheer excellence of direction, which STANDS out. Well balanced characters with their unique sketches, interestingly woven and patterned.

Alongside, Kalki, the film puts the spotlight on, Sayani Gupta, who plays Khanum, her blind lover from Pakistan with whom Laila embarks on an intriguing journey of sexual discovery. Scary for the character, as she speaks, but a delight for the evolving indie audience. Sayani is indeed SAYANI; her portrayal of a blind person without being weighed down by the condition, is breath taking. There are interesting intimate scenes in the movie, which have been edited without any background score (very unlikely approach), are bang on.

Laila's mother (Revathi), reflecting the undying attitude of a mother towards her child, is a cancer patient. She also shares a considerable story time and has performed her role, as an AADAT for Lalia, with utmost perfection. In one of the scenes Laika speaks -Everyone has mother, but she has an aadat ...and that made me drop a tear, yet again .

The protagonist 'Kalki' is absolutely brilliant as Laila; convincingly powerful and award worthy. She completely sucks you into her world, which is evolving, scattered and at the same time simple. Margarita's on-screen depiction of homosexuality, or of disabled people having sex for that matter, in Indian cinema is very brave. The movie throws lot of questions at you without answering them directly, in your faces. A big movie ,especially , for the ones with human rights and gay and lesbian genre.

I am, kind of ,short of praises for such a bold, proactive film about disability and of course coming out, which is an integral part of this story. A very personal thank you note indeed for the director to have done incredible justice to the story with her binding direction , which otherwise would have been lost in transition. Thank you for making the film available for us to see and reflect upon.

Its far better than most of the Bollywood dramas we dwell upon. Go sip on this 'Margarita- with a straw' Ladies and Gentlemen.

👏👏👏👏👏🌹

Quoting in a broader sense, there are 3 kinds of actors: 1. Humans who make great actors 2. Actors who make great humans And the 3rd...........? Book a show of "Margarita With a Straw" to experience the 3rd kind called Kalki Koechlin. In a snap you'll confront to the prowess & virtuosity of this super-skilled woman only to fall in love with her (again). 'Laila' will instantly conquer your heart with her eyes & body language. It is tough to imagine people with cerebral palsy. What's tougher is to admire & respect their choices around their sexuality & life in general. And MWAS's vulgar-free modus operandi enables us to do this. The subtle-yet-bold performance from Kalki & her journey of discovering her sexual choices is substantial & heart-warming at the same time. Overall, in a society like ours where we witness a cocktail of strong opinions, it might just be a liberating escapade to have Shonali Bose's Margarita.......With a Straw! smile emoticon ‪#‎margaritawithastraw‬ ‪#‎bollywood‬

This film teaches us that irrespective of whatever condition you are born with- being blind or having cerebral palsy or whatever event happens in your life which changes your life's circumstance, you should attempt to not be low on self confidence and self esteem and you have every right to command respect as an individual in your own right, have fun in your own way ie whatever your natural self desires to do and have a positive attitude to everything in life. The question is of whether you are able to be an individual who can follow his or her desire to the fullest as you rightfully should be able to without worrying about its consequences on other people close to you or worrying but making effort to tackle the same truthfully honestly or are you an individual who compromises and sacrifices for others and controls oneself from fulfilling his or her complete desires. The film specifically reveals the reality of natural sexual desire which is there in all human beings but that desire can be anything and being a homosexual, lesbian or bisexual isn't really a crime as many think of it but is an individual preference. This preference is sometimes not easily acceptable by the individual or the society as we have pre conceived notions about what we consider normal and what we don't. There is nothing wrong in that as thats probably wired into our brains but on thinking we should be able to accept what is not normal as well and let individuals just BE!

Overall good acting by Kalki and a good watch.

After watching this movie, I am seriously having a hard time believing that Kalki DOES NOT HAVE cerebral palsy in real life. I need to watch some of her interviews perhaps to let reality set in after being consumed by this flick. It's been hours since I finished watching it, and I still cannot get over it.

This movie is so much and so little, both at the same time. No it is not perfect, but it is damn well near perfection.

On the surface it's your average story centered around a person with a disability. That's it.

But beneath that are so many layers.

It sends out a message not just about the lives of people with disabilities, rather about outcast people, in general. It says so much by saying so little. I love how they chose to just show the life of this one person. They didn't shove her disability down our throats. Neither did they try to shove the aspect of her sexuality down our throats. She is portrayed just like a regular person, like you, like me. She faces problems at home, in college, in another country, just like we would. I, for one, never felt like she was different from any of us. 20 minutes in, I completely forgot that I was watching a movie and not a real life portrayal of a person.

Yes, it did get a tiny bit cheesy with that music contest in the beginning, but the turnout was pretty funny and really unexpected.

All the other characters are also portrayed perfectly. I really liked the character of her mother too. She was very realistic. Not only her, but everyone, from her college friends, to her family, to her male companions, to her blind girlfriend. Everyone was extraordinary. Almost none of them came short. And none of them felt forced.

I especially loved the ending sequence. It really touched my heart.

I don't get why movies like these are like hidden gems in our country. I barely heard about this movie when it came out. Rather, I stumbled across it when I was surfing one day. Rather than advertising these masterpieces, Bollywood focuses more on the average or sometimes even below average romantic comedies and action flicks. Don't get me wrong. Even I enjoy those sometimes, but THIS is what Bollywood needs right now. And I'm glad to see more and more such movies are being made in our country. I think we are going to see a huge change in Bollywood, only a few years from now. It's already started. :)

Trust me when I say this, because I don't say this very often, but Kalki deserves an Oscar for this movie. Kudos to her, and the rest of the cast for this near perfection.

8.5/10 Don't miss this. It's a must watch for everyone.