Laura Blum

With a title like Margarita, with a Straw and a festive screening on Cinco de Mayo eve, you'd think this foreign import would be part of a Mexican muestra. But Margarita is the opening night selection of the 15th annual New York Indian Film festival, which runs May 4 - 9.

Directed by Shonali Bose, the film stars Kalki Koechlin as a spirited coed with cerebral palsy who pursues a bachelor's degree and sundry bachelorette gratifications at New York University. Bose’s follow-up to Amu (which played at NYIFF in 2005) took the NETPAC Award at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, and the script bagged top prize at the Sundance Festival Writer's lab. Going by its successes elsewhere in the festival circuit, Margarita is set to intoxicate the NYIFF audience with its affecting story and performances. Following the gala screening, Festival director Aseem Chhabra will conduct a Q&A with Bose at Manhattan's Paris Theater.

This year's centerpiece is Aparna Sen’s Hindi-language film Saari Raat, based on the three-act play by the late Bengali playwright and stage director, Badal Sircar. Starring Anjan Dutt, Rittwik Chakraborty and Konkona Sen Sharma, it charts a husband and wife's long day's journey into night with a mysterious man who coaxes out tough truths about their relationship.

NYIFF continues its spotlight on filmed theater with Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespeare trilogy of Maqbool (Macbeth) Omkara (Othellao) and the award-sweeping Haider (Hamlet) -- which nabbed national trophies for Best Dialogues, Best Music Direction Songs, Best Male Playback Singer, Best Costume Designer and Best Choreography. Bhardwaj will join a Shakespeare maven in post-screening discussions.

One of the most anticipated films of the lineup is Daughters of Mother India, Vibha Bakshi's award-winning documentary about the impact of the 2012 Delhi gang rape on policies and attitudes towards gender violence in India.

Another documentary, Benegal’s New Cinema, will be of particular appeal to fans of the New Cinema Movement in India. It explores the films of Shyam Benegal, whose realistic and issue-themed work touched off that country's new wave in the 70s. Benegal will be on hand to talk about the era, aesthetics and ideas portrayed in this documentary by Iram Gufran.

The Festival will also present the top 10 films of the Asian American Film Lab's celebrated 72 Hour Shootout, which brings together emerging filmmakers in an annual joust to advance diverse voices in mainstream media.

According to Chhabra, such industry hopefuls are a proliferating species in today's India. "Films like The Lunchbox have been a real inspiration to aspiring filmmakers in India," he noted, adding that Ritesh Batra's bittersweet romance made more than $10 million worldwide, half of which came from the US. "There are signs that sales agents and distributors are out there who are recognizing off-Bollywood films, and these indie films also not only being released in India, they're also getting recognition and distribution abroad," he said. "This year the movie Court has proven again that it's possible." Given the buzz surrounding several NYIFF titles, the art of the possible might just follow upon the fest.

Stay tuned for news of the closing night film, which the Indo-American Arts Council's acclaimed South Asian showcase (http://www.iaac.us/NYIFF2015/) will announce on April 15th.