An archive of Hindi movie reviews and ratings from 2010 to 2020.
  • Margarita With A Straw

    63

    Generally favourable reviews (?)
    Based on 26 critics

    Cast & Crew

    Summary

    Laila (Kalki Koechelin) is a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy. She is a student at Delhi University and an aspiring writer who writes lyrics and creates electronic sounds for an indie band at the university. She gets admitted to New York University and moves with her mother (Revathy). Living in Manhattan, she falls in love with fiery young activist Khanum (Sayani Gupta). Thus she embarks on a journey of sexual discovery which hinders the relationships between her family and friends.

    Trailer

Critic reviews and ratings

  • Do not pass up a sip of Margarita, With A Straw. It could be life-altering. If nothing else, it will soak you with its warmth.

    89

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...is deeply moving, a philosophical film which makes you wonder if the body is a palace or prison - and evokes mothers to lovers who've cherished your soul.

    79

    Critic rating (?)

  • It becomes extraordinary because it treats its subject as ordinary.

    79

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...a refreshingly, brutally honest film which ends up making the tiny mistake of adding an emotional, clichéd ending.

    79

    Critic rating (?)

  • This film is guaranteed to make you cry. But it will also fill you with hope. These amazing women will make you want to inhale life with a new ferociousness.

    79

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...a strong emotional core and a subtle wit which is never compromised with, and a main character who is humanly flawed yet extraordinarily favourable.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • Watching Margarita with a Straw, I smiled and laughed a lot. Even in moments when I felt deep sympathy for her, the girl was sassy.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • Laila is a compelling heroine and is winningly performed by Koechlin with solid backing from Gupta and Revathy.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • Director Shonali Bose deserves a round of applause just for taking on an intense and sensitive issue of frustrations and helplessness attached to the unfulfilled sexual desires of a disabled person.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • How often in Bollywood do you see a differently-abled bisexual heroine, one who gets to have her own share of flaws, her romantic adventures, and her journey towards self-actualization?

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • Stirred well, Maragarita leaves a heady feeling.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • Touching upon a lot of intense topics, Margarita With A Straw gets you up and listening about all of them through a tale about a “different” person. But it doesn't necessarily get you engaged through and through.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • Powered by a staggering performance from Kalki Koechlin as a 19-year-old with cerebral palsy, Margarita with a Straw is that rare Indian film that mostly eschews melodrama to give us an honest, sensitive portrait of disability, and the sexual awakening of an Indian teenager.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...a beautiful film.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...nothing takes away from the beating heart of the film, which gives us a true heroine to root for, and a subject that needs to be out there, in the public domain, making itself heard.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...what stands out the most in this film is Kalki's acting, and Shonali's courage to discuss disabled people and their desires, aims and sexuality.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • Works as it is a celebration of life.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • The stories eventually boil down to common emotions. As does this film’s. Yes, there is a lot of pathos. But there is much joy. And enough empathy.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...may not be a masterpiece, but it certainly has its straw…sorry, heart in its right place!

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...a brave film that tells us that physical disability and sexual desire are two different things, neither of which can be slapped with labels like ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • Works as it is a celebration of life.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...has many sweet and heartwarming moments, the film feels clumsy on the whole. Bose has packed too many issues into her script: being differently-abled, figuring out one's sexuality, queer relationships, sexual frustration, death.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • A little more effort would have turned Margarita With A Straw it into a wonderful film but despite the flaws, it’s surely an attempt in the right direction...

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...has its share of touching moments but is far from perfect.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...is decent film but it will struggle at the box-office as it caters to a very niche segment of the audience.

    39

    Critic rating (?)

  • Shonali Bose packs too many emotions into this movie, some unwarranted, which takes away any emotions one might have had as the movie began.

    19

    Critic rating (?)

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