I first heard of The White Tiger on Instagram. The trailer came up on my explore page and looked extremely intriguing, with a gripping storyline. A story about ambition, fighting classism, and going against your predetermined fate, it captivated my family and me when we watched it a few weeks later.
The film stars Adarsh Gourav, an incredible actor whose performance is captivating. He plays Balram Halwai, a driver for a rich and seemingly friendly couple, who has to learn the hard way that they aren’t really his friends. Gourav’s performance deserves praise, as he captured the emotions and flaws of Balram’s character. There were times when Balram wasn’t necessarily morally right or a “good” person, but I could still root for him because I understood where his character was coming from.
Priyanka Chopra also gave an amazing performance: even with a smaller role, she was just as impactful as Balram. She played the wife of the couple who hire Balram as their driver, and her performance highlights the grief and mental confusion of her character. As part of an extreme plot twist, her character goes through intense emotional turmoil, which she portrayed flawlessly. The other actors in the movie did just as well; the casting generally was amazing!
The plot also conveyed the story effortlessly. The White Tiger was directed by Ramin Bharani and adapted from the book of the same name by Aravind Adiga. The story tackles serious themes in a non-obvious way. By the end, you’ve gotten the message, but the movie never says it directly.
During the film, you don’t know who’s right or wrong because no one is always good or bad. Every character is flawed, and that comes across clearly in this film; you can take sides, but nobody on either side is a saint. I enjoyed that aspect of the movie, because we typically see heroes that are just always morally good, but that’s not reflective of reality. This story is so much more captivating because of its mix of reality and movie-magic.
Films like this are particularly important, because while they can be considered international, they appeal to all audiences. The White Tiger is in a mix of Hindi and English, but doesn’t have the songs and filmy feel of a typical Bollywood movie. It’s an American drama film that just happens to be based in India, and it’s rare that you get to see those in Western media.
You don’t have to be Indian to enjoy The White Tiger; the themes and story are universal and captivating. It’s just cool to see an American movie produced in a different language and centered around a different culture; it’s an important type of representation we don’t get to see often. Hopefully, we’ll see more of it in the future!
If you couldn’t tell already, I loved The White Tiger, and I highly recommend everyone watch it if they can! It’s amazing in both its performances and storyline, and it’s a thrilling tale for everyone!
You can watch The White Tiger on Netflix.