Big Screen Prognosis: Kalki Koechlin Starrer ‘Margarita With A Straw’ Gives You A Powerful Lens Into the Lives of People Living With Cerebral Palsy

In the latest addition to our Big Screen Prognosis series, we are reviewing one of my personal favourite movies, which beautifully and critically presents how people generally look at those with disabilities through the lens of Cerebral Palsy, a group of neurological disorders. Starring Kalki Koechlin as Laila, an Indian teenager living with this chronic condition, 'Margarita With A Straw' was released in 2014 and quickly became a topic of discussion for its sensitive portrayal of Laila's character as she tries to discover her social identity, including intellectual and sexual choices.

Talking about the film's reflection on people with disabilities, Dr Keni Ravish Rajiv, Senior Consultant - Neurology and Head of Epilepsy Services, Aster Whitefield Hospital, Bengaluru, says, “The film very clearly presents the fact that disabled people are usually perceived as asexual and thus denied the discussion of desire, relationships, and sexual health.”

Margarita With A Straw: Laila's Urge For Independence

The film starts from a very relatable scene where Laila is seen trying to navigate through a steep ramp using her wheelchair, but her lack of physical strength leads her mother to help her climb the ramp. This makes Laila frustrated and resentful that she needs assistance for a simple task.

This is such a common scene in public places where we find people with disabilities struggling with daily general tasks. Some try to help them, some ignore, and some get confused about whether they should offer help or not, with the intention of not hurting them. And Laila’s character actually addresses this whole scenario.

As shown in the film, Laila is battling with Cerebral Palsy (CP), a group of neurological disorders that arise from brain damage or abnormal brain development that happens either before, during, or shortly after birth. These disorders affect the person's movements, muscle tone, posture, and coordination, but the severity of the disorders varies from one person to another.

Dr Keni Ravish Rajiv states that Laila's character from this film mirrors the complicated nature of the neurological disorder, such as observable motor impairments, the difficulty in speech and physical mobility, but also the emotional, social, and psychological aspects of the condition that are most of the time neglected.

Mr S Giriprasad, Psychologist, Aster Whitefield Hospital, Bengaluru, explains that to have Cerebral Palsy is to have an experience that greatly affects a young adult's personality, and perhaps, during those years, self-esteem and personal identity become the most important things one is concerned about.

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While it is a common thought that people with special conditions are dependent on others, the movie shows how they can not just be free, independent, but also a provider as well. As the film shows, when Laila’s mother is diagnosed with cancer in India, she moves back to Delhi from New York and takes on the role of caregiver. She perseveres through all the medical and financial challenges of her mother’s illness, along with society's dismissive perspective towards her. The film brilliantly shows how Laila took charge and did all that could be done for her mother’s treatment, just as any other child could have.

However, in the end, her mother passes away, which leads Laila to have no body to lean on in future, turning her into a hyper independent who navigates her wheelchair route to life all by herself.

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Physical Disability Has No Link With Mental Ability

Throughout her life, Laila was under the overprotection of her mother, but she remains a brilliant writer. She not just pursued creative writing at Delhi University's Ramjas College but also received a scholarship from New York University in the same. This shows that her disease actually has little to no impact on her mental ability. She is creative, ambitious, and diligent with her work. In New York, Laila actually discovers her true self, she tastes the freedom, gains respect and builds her own identity.

Speaking about how individuals with significant motor impairment, such as Cerebral Palsy, have unaffected cognitive and intellectual functions, Dr Rajiv further explains, "In most cases, individuals with Cerebral Palsy, especially those with motor skills as the primary affected area, have normal intelligence. Affected movement is the issue, while intellect is not; however, sometimes communication difficulties may be incorrectly considered as cognitive impairment."

Dr Keni Ravish Rajiv also mentions that Laila's character is one of the ways the film helps to shatter the wrong idea that a person with a physical disability is also an intellectual inferior by her being able to communicate her thoughts clearly and being intellectually curious, which is still a big bias in society.

In India, she used to feel pity from everyone, but in New York, she lives a dignified, self-reliant life. Explaining the same scenario, Mr S Giriprasad says, “If people keep staring at them, talking in a patronising way, not allowing them to take part in social or professional activities, and assuming that they have low intellectual capacity, these, in general, lead to social anxiety, chronic stress, and feelings of loneliness.” He highlights the importance of when society becomes more accessible, representative, and promotes courteous dialogue, since individuals will feel recognition, be valued, and included instead of being marginalised. What Laila was experiencing in New York was, to some extent.

Laila Discovering Her Sexuality

Getting into New York University comes as a critical turning point in Laila's life. For the first time in her life, she feels what it is to be truly on her own terms. There is no one to help her navigate her wheelchair or help communicate her thoughts. She navigates not just through her disorder but her life as well. Yes, her mother initially accompanies her to settle down in the new continent, but later she comes back to Delhi, and Laila truly lives on her own.

The film also touched on the least discussed and considered part of people living with disabilities - their sexual life. She not only makes friends, but she also figures out that she is actually bisexual when she experiences feelings for a visually impaired Pakistani-American activist and singer, Khanum (Sayani Gupta).

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As Dr Rajiv mentions, the film very clearly presents the fact that disabled people are usually perceived as asexual and thus denied the discussion of desire, relationships, and sexual health.

He also highlights, "Medical professionals should take the responsibility of providing both young and mature individuals with proper and respectful information about topics such as sexuality, reproductive health, consent, and relationships. Nothing changes with people with disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy."

2014 to 2025: What Change For People With Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is generally suspected by the first year of an infant's life, meaning it can be diagnosed very early. Dr Rajiv notes that it is especially the case when the child has obvious motor delays, abnormal muscle tone, or poor coordination.

Speaking about how the diagnosis has changed in the past decade, he further shares, "With a big part of it being due to the advances in neuroimaging, developmental screening tools, and early intervention programmes, the diagnosis is now done at a much earlier stage and with greater accuracy than it was a decade ago."

"The prognosis of kids diagnosed with CP nowadays is also generally better compared to that of around 2014, as early physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, the use of assistive technologies, and individualised care plans can take place much earlier," he adds.

Cerebral Palsy being non-progressive, an early diagnosis is a great factor in achieving functional outcomes, independence, and quality of life.

How Laila's Journey Marks an Inspiration

Psychologist Mr S Giriprasad underlines that the story of Laila stays with people because it does not depict Cerebral Palsy as a fault to be pitied or a feat to be overly admired but rather conveys it with accuracy, complexity, and humanness. "She is the character who makes you think how disability can actually lead to a decrease in the misunderstanding of this stereotype that emotional or intellectual capacity is the same despite disabilities," he states.

Depicting her as a character who deals with the issues of love, sexuality, creativity, family and self-discovery only serves to make the point that people with disabilities have the same complex lives as those without them. Laila's story moves people not because she wins over her physical disability, but because she always believes her right to be and happiness is bound to nothing.

Bottomline

The film Margarita With A Straw shows the characters' dependence on caregivers, the social stigma, the desire for independence, and the frustration of being underestimated. Nevertheless, the Character of Laila also gives a fresh and real perspective on independence, ambition, and identity for people living with disabilities.