Review of Margarita with a Straw (2015) by Raja M — 20 Apr 2015

T was a overflow of emotion to see things that one goes through expressed in form of a motion picture.

For the first time in the history of Indian Films comes a movie that explores the desires, feelings and sexual expressions of people with disability, it speaks for how they think of themselves as no different or lesser beings, more so because they would have already overcome the disabilities that other hold on to. To consider them as lesser beings is meaner depletion than differentiating on the basis of religion, race or caste, or must I say it's actually worse.

Margarita with a Straw criticises the hypocritical mindset and lack of understanding and insensitive infrastructural apathy in India that has been a hurdle to inclusion. How only the family and some prized friends are the only ray of hope in the darkness.

It also brings to our focus a pathetic mindset that is in the rise in the deep pockets of our social fabrics: they are not like us, they should not dare think of themselves as equals. I myself have been subjected to belittling time to time- that has helped remind me that there is a condition that I have, which despite being infrastructure inspired is inadvertently indented up on me as a fault of mine.

Most people in the sense of false physical superiority forget that a person only has a limitation- disability is with those minds that can see no further than the limitation and also with the infrastructure that has been, if at all anything, negligently indifferent.

Having spoken for the message it intended to convey, the film- first of all is a brilliant incident of superb acting skills at display, a rarity for Indian films. Kalki has perhaps left behind Naseeruddin Shah and some other stalwarts who have portrayed a person with disability in past. Sayani Gupta too was extraordinary in her rendition of a girl with vision disability. Revathi was the best in the lot though.

The director had a sparkling and straightforward vision and smooth narratives in place for a script that, must I say, lacked grandeur from content's prospective. The story was found wanting in exploring some true but harsh social aspects of disability. Not to mention I found it a bit aimless time and again.

The troubles, social and infrastructural, have been brought forward but in a rather too subtle a style. Social constrains and how the emotional ambitions of people with disability is ruthlessly curbed by some unconcerned of people living ignorantly in our society has not be explored much.

A drastic contrast is rendered through a comparison of accommodating capacity with us and that of the West through a case of expression and acceptance of love of/for a disabled as an affection.