Diagonaldi Very well executed

Supelice Dreadfully Boring

Hayleigh Joseph This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

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.

silvan-desouza Kalki Koechin is back after a long time, the actress is best in such films and she yet again proves her mark. The film tells a different story of a girl who has celebral palsy and later she comes to know that she is a transgender which is very unique for bollywood. The film dares to defy the stereotype and should be lauded for that. The film is well handled and well writtenDirection is good Music is okayKalki is awesome yet again in a challenging role, Revathy strikes yet again and she is awesome, rest are all good in their roles special mention must be given to Sayani Gupta as Khayum,

papukamakshi Everything about "Margarita with a Straw" is worthy of note. I loved the storyline, the treatment of it, the portrayal by the actors of their respective characters, and the development of the theme of physical disability and how individuals cope and live their lives to the fullest. When the film ended, I did feel a lump in my throat, especially when I read the dedication by Shonali Bose. I personally understood a few things better about cerebral palsy after I saw this film, and that has made an impression on me. Yet, when it was all done, I had a feeling that I had seen a fine documentary rather than a feature film. The flat realism of the narration distanced me from the destinies of the characters, and the jagged pacing of the screenplay hindered a deep involvement with the emotions of the very attractive characters. I wondered, too, why the main characters had to experience a full hand of exceptional circumstances—being affected by cerebral palsy, she is bisexual, her romantic partner is blind, and her mother is in a serious situation. These loaded circumstances of the main character's life made the film's focus thin. As for the acting, kudos to just about everyone.I was pleasantly surprised that the tiresome Hindi film style of portraying a person with disablities was entirely dropped, and the director wisely avoided histrionics. I am glad I saw it, even if I don't rate the film as great cinema.