The White Tiger
The greatest thing to come out of this country in 10 000 year history is the rooster coop. They can see and smell the blood. They know they are next yet they don’t rebel. They don’t try to get out of the coop. Servants here have been raised the same.
Summary:
The White Tiger is the story of Balram Halwai who narrates his story from starting as a poor boy in India to a rich entrepreneur. After the death of his father, Balram spends his childhood working for his grandma until one day once he is an adult, he sees the opportunity to become the driver for a man named Ashok to get out of his village. As he spends more time as a driver Balram learns the true relationship between servant and master and how someone like him can work their way up to being wealthy.
Characters:
Balram, played by Adarsh Gourav, is the star of this film, the “white tiger” so to speak, a poor boy who grew up in India watching his father struggle every day. This gives him a drive unlike any other to leave his family and their systemic issues behind and try to make a life for himself. He is cunning, smart, and honest. He learned the values of working hard growing up, and now he is going to use those skills to get himself out of his place of poverty.
Ashok, played by Rajkummar Rao, is the man who Balram works for after he leaves his village. He is a kind man, unlike his father and brother. He spent time in America and now has a much different point of view on many cultural traditions. He doesn’t like terms such as master and sir due to the formal and the barrier they represent.
Pinky, played by Priyanka Chopra, is Ashok’s wife and the third most prominent character. She is full of fire and speaks her mind. Born in Indiana, but grew up in America, she has a drastically different worldview than Ashok’s family and they butt heads quite often.
Nathanyal: 8.7/10
The White Tiger was an interesting movie to watch. Based on a novel, this story features the life story of Balram and his climb to the top. By far the best aspect of the story was plot and the characters. Balram is fleshed out completely, and the viewer is able to understand all of his actions. Although the viewer may not agree with his actions, the way he “escaped the coop” was ingenious. I loved watching each of his movies, as they were all calculated to achieve his goal. I also enjoyed watching the effects of the caste system on the people.
The only real downside is for viewers who don’t enjoy reading while watching movies. As this movie takes place in India, some of the characters end up speaking Hindi. Unless you are fluent in that language, you’ll need to read.
Overall, this was a solid movie. The storytelling had good pace, the characters were enjoyable to watch, and the overall worldbuilding was done well. Definitely recommend watching the movie.
Sebastian: 8.6/10
This was an interesting movie full of a sort of coming-of-age story with some dark humor and dark truths about the world. One of the things that I thought the movie did well was its use of narration which added to the film as it gave a good sense into the thoughts of Balram and his character development. The story is interesting as it provides a look into the life that the poor in India experience. The social class divide between servant and master is shown to be so wide with the second class being treated so poorly it’s a wonder they continue to work for the rich. The characters are well written but Balram is the only one who receives any real development through his actions and narration and he is a character you root for throughout even though you know he does end up successful. The movie does have some humour in it but I would definitely consider it a drama with a dark climax. My only problem with the movie is that it kind of dragged on in the middle and I felt that some of the events in that time could have been trimmed though it pays off with a good ending.
All in all, this is a solid film with a strong protagonist and an interesting story. If you’re on Netflix and looking for something new to watch I recommend you check this out.
Austin: 8.4/10
This movie jumps right into it from the beginning. There isn’t a lot of wasted time anywhere in the film, and it held my attention throughout. The plot is quite simple, a poor man trying to work his way to the top, but the events along the way are both comedic and surprising. The White Tiger’s plot flows pretty darn smoothly, but it does have a couple hiccups about 40 minutes in. The reasoning behind the title becomes apparent from the first 5 minutes and it sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
Balram is a very well written character. The rest are good, but Balram is in a different league. He is complex and ever-changing. His core values are based on his childhood and he holds fast whenever someone challenges them. It takes a lot to change Balram, but the changes are sudden and unexpected. Both Balram and Ashok are completely different characters once the movie ends, and they push each other in that direction.
This movie relies on the characters as much as it does the plot, and they came through. The acting is really good, and it makes for an enjoyable movie. At 2 hours and 5 minutes, it’s probably time for you to fire up Netflix and enjoy this one.
“The White Tiger | Official Trailer .” Youtube, Netflix, 21 Dec. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=35jJNyFuYKQ.
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