Shonali Bose’s ‘Margarita with a Straw’: Inspired from real life

Why you must watch “Margarita with a Straw”

The Shonali Bose directorial tells about the struggle of a girl, Laila (Kalki Koechlin), who is suffering from cerebral palsy but still wishes to live like a normal person. The film’s closely knitted plot is one of the major strengths of the film giving an insight about the life of such people in our society.

“Margarita with a Straw” has been receiving positive responses from everyone, including Bollywood & Hollwywood. The film is set to hit the theaters on Friday, 17 April.

Earlier,”Margarita with a Straw”  received international recognition after its world premiere on 8 September 2014 at the Toronto International Film Festival.Later is was  screened in BFI London Film Festival,the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia,, Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).

But what is so special about the film?

Inspired from real life

The film also touches upon the sexuality of a woman with physical disabilities. The Bengali film-maker was inspired to make this film after her cousin Malini, a cerebral palsy patient, expressed a desire to have sex on her birthday. However, the film is not a biography of Malini.

Great Performances

Kalki’s extraordinary performance is the major highlight of the film. Kalki spent a whole lot of time with Malini to understand the character and the life of people with such disabilities.

Awards

Kalki got the Best Actress award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2014 and “Margarita with a Straw” was the only Indian film to receive an Asian Film award this year for the ‘Best Composer’ category apart from Audience Award and the Youth Jury Award at Vesoul Film Festival in France.

Many Bollywood celebs, including Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Shraddha Kapoor, Aditi Rao Hydari, Ranveer Singh, and Anurag Kashyap, among others have praised Kalki for her amazing performance in “Margarita with a Straw“.

Watch the Trailer of “Margarita with a Straw” below:

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