Directed and produced by Shonali Bose, Margarita With A Straw is an uncanny journey of a young girl suffering from cerebral palsy (a kind of spasticity where the movements of muscles are uncontrollable) who later on in life comes to grips with the fact about her being bisexual. Bollywood fanatics are usually used to high budget, action packed and romantic saga kind of films, but the lead heroine of Margarita With A Straw, Kalki Koechlin firmly believes that this unusual attempt of hers will surely have an indelible impact on the silver screen.
Riding high on excitement, the skillful actress said at a promotional event, “We made such a beautiful film in a small budget. There is a huge buzz about the film already and we have the support of Aamir, Kiran and others from the film industry.” She further added, “So neither am I seeing this film from the collections point of view nor as a hit or a flop. I am excited about the film.”
The film showcases the struggles of a wheelchair ridden young woman, a budding writer, studying at the Delhi University who moves to New York for pursuing latter education. There she unexpectedly falls in love with a girl who is an activist, and from there begins the journey of exploration and self introspection in terms of queer sexuality.
Though it is a small budget film, Kalki has worked very hard for it as the role which she has essayed is eccentric and difficult to play. In one of her interviews with the TOI, she said, “As an actor, I practised on the wheelchair for at least two hours a day for six months. The whole embodiment was tough to get. So, I knew that it was only if I did it every day, would it become a habit and look natural in the film.”
Her inspiration for the role was a cerebral palsy-affected girl, Malini Chib (director’s cousin), who Kalki befriended and got a chance to learn numerous habits, mannerisms, actions and behavior from her.
Also, the film had some issues with CBFC after its first screening due to the love making scenes in it, but thereafter, surprisingly the film came out with just one cut which left everyone elated. The Board wanted the shot showing the actress peeing as well as another lesbian kissing shot to be cut, but finally somehow the Board agreed to keep it and instead cut an intimate scene. The director didn’t want to take a risk and delay the release, hence, accepted the decision given by the board.
This unique tale has already proven itself in the international market and received many acclamations, taking into consideration its storyline, hope it gets an equal response in Indian market too, as it is expected to release on 17th April, 2015.
Tags: bollywood bollywood news Kalki Koechlin Malini Chib Margarita With A Straw Shonali Bose
