rkeswani This movie is a mind-boggling mix of all of life's problems thrown into two hours. Spoilers ahead. One witnesses cerebral palsy, sexual repression, lack of infrastructure for the differently-abled in India, some cultural insensitivity to differently-abled in India, lack of understanding of homosexuality in conservative societies, India vs Pakistan (perhaps Bangladesh), Racism against colored people in USA, being physically blind and finally, if that was not enough, death due to cancer. But the movie did not make me wailing-sad, it made me understated-sad and I walk away in total admiration for Kalki and Shonali.

Nikhil Kamra 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.

bobbysing Praising the big progressive leap taken by Hindi Cinema with MARGARITA WITH A STRAW, we first need to thank the entire talented team behind its making and then the Censor Board too for being understanding & kind enough to allow such honest depiction on screen, that is certainly bold enough for a Hindi film made on the life events of a differently abled young girl ready to discover herself.Elaborating on the theme further, there have been few Hindi films in the past based on related subjects like BARFI, PAA, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, LAFANGE PARINDEY, MY NAME IS KHAN, EESHWAR, SADMA and more. But there never has been a film dealing with the emotional and sexual desires of a confident, young, college going girl suffering from 'Cerebral palsy', featuring few amazingly truthful intimate scenes shot sincerely.In more appreciative words, MARGARITA WITH A STRAW is one of those rarest Hindi films (probably the only one), that effectively portrays the passionate (sexual) conflicts faced by its lead (differently abled) female character with a remarkable simplicity, at your face honesty and no hiding attitude at all, not looking for any kind of pity or sympathy from the audience. The film is indeed a triumph achieved by Shonali Bose and her co-director Nilesh Maniyar, as another adorable project (post her AMU in 2005) for which she can truly feel proud along with her dear cousin, who happens to be the basic inspiration behind Laila.Revolving around Laila's courageous journey to know more about herself and her bisexual identity, the complex character has been perfectly lived by Kalki Koechlin on screen with an astonishing authenticity in her disability in speech, awkward hand movements and tilting of the head, easily slipping into the body of her given character so amazingly. Kalki certainly needs to be applauded for choosing such a difficult role at this stage of her career and then delivering the unexpected too with sheer perfection. Her chemistry with Sayani Gupta is again engaging (though lacking the much needed depth) and they both do come up as complete natural even in those tense, sensual scenes exploring the other.The supporting cast calmly led by Kuljeet Singh beautifully supports Kalki throughout including Malhar Khushu, Hussain Dalal, Tenzing Dalha, William Moseley and others. But the second towering performance that holds the film together is of Revathy playing the adorable mother, individually fighting with her own 'undisclosed' ailments. The lady is so believable as the mother in all those homely clothes and sequences that one can easily relate to her as someone closely known like a family member. Particularly I loved watching her in the scene where she doesn't like the way lady attendant ties the hair of Kalki so casually and hence gets up and ties them again after properly combing as soon as the attendant moves out of the room. In fact, remembering her early films, its really wonderful to witness that the girl who looked so cute in LOVE romancing with Salman Khan in the early nineties, is even more graceful now as the mother in 2015 making an equally impressive impact on the viewers.The film's soundtrack and background score do play a crucial role in its various sequences, especially the catchy tracks "Koi Shaque" and "Foreign Balamwa". Still, I personally missed a slow, soothing number expressing Kalki's personal feelings fighting with her visible loneliness. Cinematography captures both the light and emotional moments of the script beautifully and thus is able to make an instant connection with the viewers through all its realistically chosen frames and soft lights.Tackling a 'never discussed before' kind of subject about the natural sexual desires in differently abled people, Shonali Bose once again forces us to think that why no one dared to bring out this theme from the closet till now? OR is it the case that we simply like to assume that those friends do not tend to have any such natural bodily feelings due to their physical disabilities. The fact really gives us enough food for thought in respect of subjects still lying untouched talking about the world of our differently abled friends. But maybe we don't have much time to think about that seriously or don't really wish to witness the sadness, the sorrow or the pain in those 3 hours of entertainment bought for a price.Probably that is the reason, Shonali also keeps the film completely light and even comic for most of the times to make it more appealing to the audience mainly coming into the theaters for getting entertained. However, that's what I exactly look upon as a flaw in its execution frankly, since the film doesn't have any place for sadness at all which actually makes it look more superficial or even unbelievable at times as per my personal opinion.Yes the writer-director does try to bring in those introspective moments in the concluding half an hour with a tragedy happening all of a sudden resulting in a deafening silence all around. But then again soon returns to the same lively mood in the climax, ending it all on an extremely positive note with the cheerful Laila holding her margarita with a straw.Summing it all, I did love the film a lot from heart for all its delightful moments focusing on the ever smiling Laila. But perhaps since I sincerely wished to cry with the lady too feeling her inner conflicts fighting with the able world around, I found that much needed sorrow simply missing in the daringly made film putting it honestly.Anyway, ignoring this personal opinion of mine, do watch and enjoy the lively world of LAILA becoming a part of this new-age cinematic revolution tried by the exceptional creators. And welcome the QUEEN act of 2015 by Kalki Koechlin, eyeing at many of those big award ceremonies held towards the end of the year.

mindymktg I saw this film at the closing night of the Long Island Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on November 16, 2015. For a good portion of the movie, I had no idea what the title had to do with the film or why it was selected for this festival. I should have known that there was much to be learned during the second half of the film.The acting is nothing less than superb. Only after I read the review on Variety.com, did I learn that the lead actress, Kalki Koechlin, is much more than a performer. She truly inhabited the role of Laila. Every mannerism, every bit of emotion was so authentic that I thought this was a true story about Kalki, herself. The relationships throughout the film are well-defined, from the father who initially seems stubborn and a bit detached to the beautiful (inside and out) mother to the very modern younger brother to the boys who either love or break Kalki's heart. And then there is Sayani Gupta as Khanum, who becomes Laila's soul mate. There are many charming moments; funny scenes; and plenty of opportunity for a good cry. In the end, Laila learns to love herself. she is not just a brave young woman, she is a delight. And you won't want to miss the steady stream of fabulous hanging earrings - pretty much a new pair are worn in every scene. They seem to represent Laila's emergence as she finds her true self.