The White Tiger is a drama film based on the book by Aravind Adiga of the same name. It is a story about Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav). Balram is born in a humble family with very few means or as stated in the movie in a ‘Lower-Caste’ family. Despite studying in a village he has quickly grasped the English language and envisions to study further and be a well-educated man unlike his family and this dream is further propelled when he is told he shall be given a scholarship to study in Delhi. But his fate had a different plan altogether. After his father’s untimely demise he is forced to leave school and start working to pay off his family’s debt. As time passes his dream of being educated stays a dream nowhere near his reality. Tired and fed up of his life in the village he wishes to step up the ladder by working in the city. The perfect opportunity comes along the way when he learns. Ashok (Rajkummar Rao the son of the village’s landlord is on the lookout for a new driver. Ashok has just returned to India from The United States with his wife Pinky (Priyanka Chopra Jones), he has modern ideologies and evolved thinking unlike his father & brother, whom he constantly questions and asks to look beyond the caste system in India. With his wit and smart thinking he gets his wish and is hired as the driver for Ashok and his wife. Initially disappointed he finds his joy after the couple relocate to Delhi. Balram is happy and feels satisfied and creates a bond with his ‘masters’ who treat him with respect unlike others. While he believes he has achieved it all, earning fancily & doing a job none of his villagers could do, Pinky encourages him to be ambitious and reckons he can go much further in his life. Stubborn Balram continues to believe this is his destiny and serves his employers. But after that with a few unfortunate turn of events Balram realises he will no longer be a puppet in the hands of destiny and takes control of his fate. All this is showcased in the backdrop, narrated by Balram a successful entrepreneur, via his letters to the Chinese premier.
Ramin Bahrani has tried to create a film that can aptly portray the life & brutal reality of the sect of people who are mostly ignored. While he adapts the story from the book, he has done a good job writing the screenplay and an even better job directing the movie with a great outcome. The location setting and cinematography is also quite accurate giving the essence of the lifestyle of people from humble beginnings. The story is kept pretty much to the point and acted out at amazingly by Gourav and at a satisfactory level by Rao & Chopra Jonas.
While both the well acclaimed actors do a good job it is quite bizarre to see the two flaunting western accents, at least for Indian audiences who have seen the two in numerous Bollywood movies. If the two characters were played out by lesser known actors it could have been more enjoyable. The narrative style seems pointless and does not seem to add any value. With the narration a good anticipation is build that is expected to showcase Balram’s rags to riches story, but the end is a let-down and even feels anticlimactic.
The end of the movie may not live up to standards but the rest is assuredly enjoyable and can be pleasant watch for most audiences. The movie can be disappointing but the story displayed is near perfect. It won’t be the next Slumdog Millionaire (2008) nonetheless it is a delightful watch.
Acting- 8
Casting- 6.5
Cinematography- 9
Dialogue- 8
Directing- 9
Editing & Effects- 8
Sound & Music- 8
Story- 9
Storytelling- 7
Rating- 8
Available on: Netflix
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