The White Tiger

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Even though The White Tiger isn’t exactly the first review I published in 2021, it was the first film I watched at the start of this new year. I really didn’t know what to expect. I’ve never seen anything from any actor involved in the movie or from the writer-director, Ramin Bahrani. I still follow the “trailer-free” philosophy that I established back in 2017, so my knowledge about the actual story was close to null. Nevertheless, all of these details left me quite excited, to be completely honest. Starting 2021 with a 100% blind watch (something I sincerely appreciate) is an excellent way of beginning a year that I hope will be better than the previous one (it shouldn’t be that hard).

From the get-go, it’s clear that Bahrani will use his film in an enlightening, educational manner to teach its viewers about India’s sociopolitical stratification (caste system) and its economic consequences. The viewer follows Adarsh Gourav’s character, Balram, who’s trying to get away from the dated traditions and become a real entrepreneur. I rarely love straight-up political movies, even when these follow the satire route. On par with religion, these are two matters that I’ve been avoiding talking about my whole life. From corruption to wars, there are literally hundreds of reasons that justify my detachment from these topics.

With that said, The White Tiger holds several significant messages concerning poor families (low caste) who must work hard in unimaginable conditions just to survive, specifically in India. It also approaches ideas such as arranged marriage and the unbreakable master-servant bond. These cultural lessons on India’s sociopolitical and socioeconomic structure are by far the most interesting aspect of the entire screenplay, and Bahrani does a fantastic job of conveying this awareness to the audience in a compelling manner. With the help of Paolo Carnera (DP), the story is filmed at ground-level, putting the viewers in the dirty, smelly, impoverished streets of different places across India, generating a realistic atmosphere. Chad Keith’s production design is also vital to create that immersive Indian environment.

Despite the wonderful technical aspects, Bahrani’s script is packed with an overwhelming succession of narrative events that fail to further develop the protagonist or impact the story, especially from the mid-point of the film onwards. Some sequences are similar to previous ones, ultimately making the movie feel repetitive while not moving the plot forward. Unfortunately, it really feels like the viewers could miss a couple of minutes here and there and not miss anything genuinely relevant. Therefore, Bahrani’s flick becomes overlong and slower than what it needs to be, consequently affecting the viewers’ attention, which might result in some of the critical messages getting lost in the transmission, mainly the economic one. Balram’s narration helps, but Bahrani could have found a better (and more logical) justification for this storytelling detail.

In addition to this, it’s a film that depends on the viewers’ knowledge about India and their interest in learning more about it. In my case, The White Tiger didn’t surprise me with any information - which doesn’t help the entertainment value - but its visuals helped me connect what I knew to something quite palpable. I do want to end on a positive note, though. The unknown cast is phenomenal, but the biggest praise must go to Adarsh Gourav’s first lead role. Balram is a well-written character who will definitely connect with many viewers all around the world. Gourav shows quite a good range, demonstrating his comedic timing and funny expressions, but also an emotional side that truly elevated some of the best scenes in the entire movie.

The White Tiger employs the English and Indian languages to educate viewers about India’s sociopolitical and socioeconomic system by following Adarsh Gourav’s character, who narrates the largest email ever about his life. Despite the somewhat silly setup, Ramin Bahrani delivers an enlightening, interesting narrative with dozens of relevant messages regarding India’s culture and the incredibly challenging way of living of most of its population. Gourav offers a brilliant performance (debut in a lead role), elevating a well-written, relatable character who goes through an unbelievable life story surrounded by an immersive production design and terrific camera work, creating a realistic environment. Unfortunately, this Netflix’s flick is overwhelmed by an absurd amount of gradually unimpactful narrative events, unnecessarily extending the runtime and hurting the overall pacing. By becoming repetitive, the viewers’ attention levels decrease, leading to a scenario where some of the essential lessons get lost in their delivery. Overall, I recommend it to viewers interested in learning more about India and people who actually lived or were born there, but if your knowledge about the country is good enough, it might not be as entertaining and informative as you would expect.

Rating: C+

Humanity’s worst kept secret is that the world of wealth and privilege go hand in hand, and that idea is explored in “The White Tiger,” the big screen adaptation of Aravind Adiga‘s 2008 prize-winning novel. The author wrote the book as a critique of the state of things in his home country, but the situation in India and the story’s themes of corruption within the political system and the separation of the elite and working classes is universally relatable to most citizens across the globe.

Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav) narrates his rise from poor villager to successful entrepreneur in modern India, starting with a flashback narrative when he was a child living in the slums. He has been ambitious his entire life, learning English and seizing opportunity whenever a chance arises. Balram talks his way into becoming a personal driver for the wealthy Ashok (Rajkummar Rao) and his wife Pinky (Priyanka Chopra), a couple who have returned to India after living in America for many years, but finds himself at the beck and call of the more corrupt associates of the family. They’re up to no good, paying off politicians and often treating Balram like trash. But just when he thinks he’s made himself indispensable to the family, they betray him in a way that could ruin his life forever. On the verge of losing everything, Balram rises up against this inequality with a vengeance, and it’s shocking what he must do to truly become free.

The film has a moral complexity that’s provocative and disturbing. Balram first declares that India’s caste system is divided into two categories: “men with big bellies, and men with small bellies.” It’s one of the simplest ways of thinking about this division, but he’s not wrong. As the man is exposed to big city ideas and becomes envious of the upper class lifestyle, he begins rejecting centuries-old traditions and cutting ties with his family and the village back home. Capitalism consumes him, and he’ll even entertain murder to get ahead.

The story gives a compelling look into the working class and societal changes in modern-day India, where those in charge aren’t too keen on investing in things to help the poor. As the “have-nots” begin speaking up and letting their ambition be known, it causes a conflict with those at the top. “Rich men are born with opportunities they can waste,” as Balram says. Corruption is everywhere. Sound familiar?

Director Ramin Bahrani doesn’t turn an eye to the worst parts of his lead character, making Balram a person you both love and loathe at different points in the story. It’s part of the reason “The White Tiger” is so intriguing, and it adds a layer of relatability to the ongoing class struggle in a globalized world.

By: Louisa Moore

A little in the style of "Kind Hearts and Coronets" (1949), successful entrepreneur "Balram" (Adarsh Gourav) is writing a letter to the Chinese prime minster who is about to visit Delhi. Rather disparagingly referring to the such things as the prioritisation of plumbing over industrialisation, he paints a picture of the shared aspirations and values of the "brown" and "yellow" people whilst triumphantly stating that the days of the "white man" are over. As his writings ramble on, he takes us back to his own (very) humble beginnings in a rural town where his family were ruled with a rod of iron by his grandmother. Tired of living on the two hundred rupees she allows him to keep from his salary as a driver, he decides it's time to get himself a wealthy master - and who better than the town bigwig "The Mongoose" (Vijay Maurya) who has a finger in just about every pie and is involved in something distinctly dodgy with the state's supposedly socialist leadership thanks to the intermediation of "Ashok" (Rajkumar Rao). As it turns out, "Ashok" and his wife "Pinky" (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) aren't the worst employers of this lowly caste gent, but when they have a little too much to drink and are then involved in a road accident, "Balram" discovers just where his place in the pecking order is, and that the only person who can alter that is himself. That won't be easily accomplished, but he's a wily and patient man and as he takes advantage of the contempt he is held in by people who speak as if he wasn't even in the room, he learns of an opportunity that could finally free him from the shackles of his granny and his bosses. Aside from giving the Indian hierarchical culture a really quite entertaining kicking, this also has some fun at the expense of sexism and snobbery too as the young man realises that there are only two types of men: fat ones and skinny ones, and quite often the former have as much of their fat in their heads as in their bellies. The writing is often quite pithy and witty and as "Balram" begins to turn more from poacher to gamekeeper, the effort from Gourav becomes more engaging and his search for respect and independence certainly had me rooting for him - however drastic his solution turned out to be. The supporting cast all add a colourful richness to the proceedings - especially Kamlesh Gill as the sparingly used but still slightly menacing matriarch and an array of younger cast members who weave some mischief into this indictment of an age old familial societal structure that really only values any form of independent thought if it results in remittances. I really hope he doesn't lose that laptop!!