Margarita With A Straw

Cast	:	Kalki Koechlin, Revathi, Sayani Gupta
Director	:	Shonali Bose
Music	:	Mickey McCleary
Producer	:	Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
Release Date	:	April 17, 2015
Language	:	Hindi-English

My Thoughts

Laila (Kalki Koechlin) is like any teenager. She is a part of college rock band, composes music and writes lyrics for it, she falls in love, giggles and tries to have as much fun as possible. Yet, she is slightly different because she suffers from cerebral palsy.

The screenplay flows effortlessly giving life to the characters, portraying their dilemma and projecting the protagonist’s growing up phase – from a carefree teenager to a matured woman. The cinematography is so nice that the movie looks like a beautiful painting onscreen.

The story is about a teenager who suffers from cerebral palsy; who needs help even to go to a washroom. However, she is not apologetic about it. We can see that the character has accepted herself fully and has dilemmas/uncertainties only relating to her love life – like any teenager!

The movie also shows the relationship between Laila and her mother (Revathi). There are a couple of scenes that I loved. The scene where Laila’s mother is shocked when she knows that her daughter has been watching porn in her laptop and even gets angry. Laila yells back saying that it is her personal life and no one, not even her mother, can venture into. It nicely puts across how internet has opened a whole new world for today’s generation and how it used by them for sexual awareness. Another scene I liked is the one where the mother’s reaction changes when her daughter declares that she is in love!

There is a scene where the college lift is not working and Laila is carried by several men to the class upstairs. When Laila travels to UK to study further, we can see the contrast. The country actually has facilities for such people so that they can also lead a very independent life. It made me question within - why our country is so less friendly for specially challenged people.

Another sensitive topic that the movie touches upon is homosexuality and bisexuality. It speaks about how people look at it and how their parents treat them when they come to know about their child’s sexual orientation.

The movie is under 2 hours with a nice background score and a hummable “Dukoste” song. The editing is crisp and the intimate scenes are also taken very aesthetically. Revathi as Laila’s mother has underplayed where even her silence speaks. Sayani Gupta as blind Khanum is unapologetic and celebrates life. However, it is Kalki Koechlin as Laila who steals the show, makes us forget that it is a mere act. She lives as Laila, her body language perfect. I loved the fact that the movie is free from melodrama and the ending like the cherry on the cake.

In short, the movie says - Be happy with yourself. Physical disability can still be overcome with the love & care of people around. But unhappiness, uncertainty, confusion, insecurity, loneliness and all that can be combated only by you. Happiness is a choice and you can also choose to be unhappy, says MARGARITA WITH A STRAW - an enlightening takeaway.

Certainly something to learn...!

Rating

3.5/5

PS: The movie is suitable for adult viewers only.