Review of Margarita with a Straw (2015) by Nikhil N — 18 Sep 2015

A lot of bollywood movies are making the headlines nowadays, for bringing content and quality to mainstream cinema. From Piku to Tanu Weds Manu to Dil Dhadakne Do, a lot of movies are being embraced by critics and audiences alike. but one movie has gone in this midst, without creating much hype or moolah. A movie which won my heart and is, in my opinion, the best film I have seen this year - MARGARITA WITH A STRAW.

This gem of a film, directed ambitiously by Shonali Bose (of Amu fame) and starring Kalki Koechlin, is about the life of a young Delhi girl Laila (Kalki), who also happens to suffer from cerebral palsy, making her wheelchair bound. After facing rejection from a crush she had in college, she moves to New York with her mother (Ravathi) and starts life afresh. In Manhattan, she meets and starts a relationship with a blind Pakistani student Khanum (Sayani Gupta). How she goes through various ups and downs in her life forms the rest of the story.

This is no ordinary story about a girl fighting disability. In fact, Laila doesn't fight her disability. She accepts it a part of who she is and moves forward. She is a normal girl with normal quirks. She writes lyrics for a band in college and also has a friends-with-benefits relationship with her disabled friend. And from a radical change from contemporary Indian heroine, she even masturbates watching porn! What more could you want! The subtle humor is also endearing, one of them being when Laila tries to explain to her mother that she is bisexual.

Director Shonali Bose has adopted a pristine simplicity while handling a concept this complicated. It could easily have gotten messed up, but it doesn't. The screenplay is taut and even emotions are not overplayed, giving it authenticity and heft. Even the sex scenes have been given aesthetically shot,which is a rarity in Hindi cinema( read Emraan Hashmi-Sunny Leone films). But M/s Bose's biggest achievement is her portrayal of the relationship between Laila and her mother. Of course, it doesn't hurt having two great actors, but she still deserves credit for deftly handling that complex relationship, without having many overt emotional packages. Their love is an ode to all mothers. :).

The music by Micky Mcleary is also worth mentioning. It is not by any means path-breaking, but it flows along with the story without any hindering and conveys the emotions quite well. Good job.

But what makes this movie tick is its performances. From Kuljeet Singh as Laila's father to William Moseley as Jared, the supporting cast plays their parts to perfection. The surprise however has been Sayani Gupta as Khanum. She plays the blind girl to perfection. Even the subtle nuances in her character and her independent and fierce spirit has been captured excellently on screen.

Revathi has time and again proved her acting chops in the South Indian Film industry and as Shubhangini, Laila's mother, she has yet again proved her mettle. From the initial shots where she is taking her husband off to work and Laila to college, she shows a rare command over her character. Her eyes and the lines on her face suggest her struggles and hardships. But it was her relationship with her daughter that won me over. so beautiful and so pure........

But the star of the show is Kalki. She excels as Laila. She has gotten into the skin of her character and made it her own. Her smiles, laughter, quirkiness, anger, indignation, regret have all been so wonderfully portrayed. Easily the best performance I have seen till date, this year. She has come a long way.

Yes, the movie has its flaws, a little too much of coincidence and a chopy climax, to name a few. But it would be nitpicking and does nothing to take away from the fact that this is an excellent film. I have long yearned for a film which celebrates its women, portraying them without prejudices. Last year it was Queen... this year it is.....

A girl watching porn and masturbating; two disabled people making out; A wheelchair bound girl and blind girl having sex; portraying an Indian girl to be bisexual. Hindi cinema has indeed come a long way in its portrayal of women! Good days are ahead.