Margarita with a straw - my view

English Vinglish, Queen and now Margarita with a straw, though different and distinct in terms of storyline, characters and other aspects, yet all these movies had something similar at their intuitive core. It might not be a conscious decision by director to portray the central character struggling hard enough to achieve desired social stature amongst stereotypical Indian mindset and hence a western exposure proves to be a life altering event, but this is something which is common to all three movies and it is probably also emerging as a new cinematic trend.

So, is it really true that an Indian woman need to have her passport stamped in order to feel existent and empowered? If it is true, then does this mean that majority of Indian women population which does not have any chance of exploring west stand no chance at all to acquire deserved social importance?

While it might be true to an extent that people in developed countries like USA and UK are more tolerant, accepting and are able to see an individual beyond her limitations, but it can certainly not be drawn as a universal law. All societies of world have all sort of people, otherwise these first world nations would have been free from menaces like racism and crime against women. It could just be a happy co-incidence that protagonist of our cross culture films happen to have their respective encounters with only a mature lot of people among all. Having laid down the base for benefit of doubt to director Shonali Bose, it is now just a question of whether she has been able to tell this story of a differently abled girl in an entertaining and thought provoking manner or not.

Margarita with a straw is a bold film with an intent to emphasise the need of equality for differently abled and their desire to be looked upon as equals, recognised for their abilities rather being sympathised for their disabilities. The scene where Laila flips the rock show judge for announcing her band as winner just because the lyrics were penned down by a disabled girl was really impressive and could have set the tone for what's coming ahead, but unfortunately what started as a promising tale of making a mark despite all odds soon turned into a monotonous timeline of routine carnal accomplishments.

It would be cruel to say that we don't expect differently abled to feel the same human instincts as we do, but the fact that entire length of film was kind of dedicated to only this superficial aspect of human experience just let me down. One of the reasons for this disappointment could have arisen from all the hype created for the film. When legends like Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan praise a film, it is quite normal to expect something extra ordinary from the film.

In the end, I would like to congratulate Kalki Koechlin for such a heart felt portrayal of the character Laila, though the minor hand gestures and physical limitations were not carried on consistently throughout the film, but Kalki did a fabulous job. The only other character that managed to equate Kalki was Revathi as Laila's mother. Indian cinema is finally seeing a paradigm shift towards experimental avenues, and hopefully Margarita with a straw is just a step forward.