Reviews, Vol I, Issue IV
The trials and tribulations of life
entail us to counter them bravely. But do we emerge a champ every time
confronting both the simple and arduous deals of our day to day lives. Sometimes
we succumb outrightly; at other times we knock ourselves out completely but
fall just a little short of hitting the bull’s eye. Few other times, we win in
cracking the code and registering a brilliant triumph. Truly, life is a mixed
bag, there are moments when we are laid down by our disabilities which may not
be real but chimerical ones etched deeply on our mind’s roster; disabilities as
they say are in the mind only.
We all act incompetent many a time but
being human we tend to hide our shortcomings under the garb of formidable
situations and ill-starred times. Still, are we sensitive enough to treat at an
equal footing, the ones with disabilities writ well on their bodies- the ones
whom the world favours with the tag of ‘differently abled,’ and feels relieved
at having practised a deemed altruistic deed by re-christening them so. The
lesser known reality is that they are not at variance from the able-bodied ones
in their dreams and desires; and are equally entitled to comply with their
longings and inclinations.
The movie, Margarita with a Straw (2015) contemplates on the leitmotif of
‘Unimpaired Selves’ implicit in the not so able-bodied ones, manifested through
the character of vivacious Laila, the protagonist of the movie. The charming
and creative nonconformist Laila deconstructs all radical notions of a young
girl with cerebral palsy. Though wheelchair bound, she otherwise is just like
any other exuberant teenage girl who does not allow any physical impediments
to come in the way of her adventurous student lifestyle. Laila does not permit
her physical disability to meddle with her love life.
The movie seeks inspiration from the
book, One Little Finger (2011) a
memoir of a leading advocate of disability rights, Malini Chib who is herself
inflicted with cerebral palsy. The movie as well as the book on which it is based
calls for the exigency of a receptive and inclusive world which cherishes and
reinforces the rights of the ‘differently abled’ to live fulfilled and
wholesome lives. Malini Chib takes a dig at the contradictory standards of
society in this regard: “It is crazy but
society on one hand thinks that disabled people should lead normal lives, but
when it comes to the crunch of having an intimate relationship with a person
who is disabled, they get scared and pretend that the problem is not theirs.”
And she is quite genuine in her surmise that being both disabled and a woman is
a ‘double disadvantage.’
Both Malini Chib and Laila Kapoor cruise
past many such yardsticks, transgress from the outmoded traditions and trespass
the antiquated social norms at every rung to lead ‘no strings attached’
unconditional lives. In defiance of her sickness and physical limitations,
Malini Chib indulges in quite a lot of globe-trotting, and pleasantly traverses
the boundaries between nation-states both for tourist amusements and academic
pursuits. The cathartic endowment for heartbroken Laila too (on being spurned by
the lead singer of her band) heralds in the guise of a full scholarship from
New York University for a Creative Writing Program. The expanse and plenitude
of the Big Apple sets the stage for Laila to discover love in an exceptional
way.
Margarita
with a Straw is not a conventional art house
drab movie with spotlight on various predicaments of disability. It is a coming
of age movie that gets past the disabilities and takes a flyer of treating people
with disabilities as normal. It hinges on the sexuality of differently- abled
people and insinuates without getting preachy: to treat as normal the
libidinous and emotional urges of the differently-abled. The film manages to
audaciously venture into the forbidden spaces of bisexuality too.
On a buoyant, howbeit a defining note,
the title of the movie rehearses another tip on equality by suggesting that the
physical incapacities of people need not disavow them from the extravagance of
raising a toast to celebrate and; exhilarate themselves by sipping on margarita,
what if with a straw. Summing-up in words of Shonali Bose, the director of the
movie: “The film deeply talks about passing the prejudice and making a parallel
line for equality. Let’s move ahead, and look at these people as humans.”
- Reviewed by Manjinder Kaur Wratch
Kaur is a recipient of Maulana Azad National Fellowship and a researcher working for her
doctoral degree on Partition literature. She has made many presentations at
various national and international conferences and has also contributed
research papers for many journals-national as well as international. Earlier
she has served as Faculty English Language and Literature in various leading
institutes of the country. For her M.Phil dissertation she worked on the
translated in English works of the legendary Punjabi and Hindi author, Amrita
Pritam. Her recent stopover being reviewing literary works and penning homilies
on the arty-crafty realm of ‘substance cinema.’
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