The White Tiger, Netflix’s latest Drama, is directed by Ramin Bahrani and co-produced by Ramin Bahrani and Mukul Deora.
The film is based on a 2008 book by Aravind Adiga of the same name, The White Tiger.
Directed by: Ramin Bahrani
Run Time: 2h 5m
Ratings: 4.8/5
Cast: Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao, Priyanka Chopra, Mahesh Manjrekar
Storyline
The story of ‘The White Tiger’ is unlike any other movie. I fear it exceeds the excellence portrayed by Slumdog Millionaire. It all starts when a young boy, Balram Halwai, too smart to be in the same grade as most his friends, realises his father is on his death bed. The responsibility of continuing his father’s bread earning job rests on little Balram after the latter’s death. Growing up, the boy observes the world around him and makes it a point to change his destiny.
In order to ascend the ladder of success, he plots to employ himself in the richest household he can find by becoming their driver. Smart? If you think yes, then beware for this isn’t all that the story has to offer. This is just the beginning. Going forward, with Ashok (Rajkummar Rao) and Pinky’s (Priyanka Chopra) fates in his hands, Balram gets into a series of complications that he comes out victorious from by the help of his cunning and wit.
What Do We Think?
‘Eat or get eaten up’. While the rich will get richer, it’s up to the last two tiers of society to build status of their own. ‘The White Tiger’ proves just that. As Adarsh Gourav’s character rightly says in the movie, the poor are too loyal to transgress their masters. He says this while comparing people around him to a chicken coop. They all know their fate and can smell the blood, but none of them dare escape it. While other films like Serious Men also have their storyline set towards the same tangent, this film takes it up a notch in being the eye-opener of change in one’s destiny. Anyone can rise to the top, all you need to do is have the command to do so.
While Balram is Adarsh Gourav’s breakthrough into memorable characters of the industry, we fear he’s the highlight of the movie. Priyanka Chopra has done a stellar job herself as Pinky and it’s quite visible that the role has come naturally to the phenomenal actress. However, while Rajkummar Rao had delivered exceptional performances in the past, this one just doesn’t seem to cut the rope of excellency. Perhaps he wasn’t quite comfortable with having to maintain an accent throughout the whole film or he just couldn’t find that oomph factor in his character but nonetheless, we still have faith in Rao. We’re positive the actor will go on to deliver better performances.
Hit or Miss?
An extremely huge HIT. With the direction, the storyline and especially with this movie being some of the best performances of an exceptionally talented cast, we say the film is a big hit.
