Digital adaptations of literary works have become one of the most loved ways of bringing stories to life that remain hidden from a large proportion of people. Reading isn’t an easy task for a great number of people, owing to their everyday schedules. Also, it requires quite a good amount of time and interest, which usually people lack. But digital adaptations of such works have proven to be one of the best ways to bring forward stories and characters that need to be heard. One such recent digital adaptation is Netflix’s upcoming film, The White Tiger. It is based on Aravind Adiga’s 2008 novel of the same name. The book received positive acclamation and won the 40th Man Booker Prize in the same year it was published.
Directed by Ramin Bahrani, the film stars Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra, and Rajkumar Rao in key roles. Netflix dropped its trailer in October, and the film seems to uphold quite a genuine appeal. The story is set in India and is about the flawed class difference that persists. It is narrated through the eyes and point of view of Balram Halwai, who has spent half of his life in poverty. He belongs to the underprivileged class of society, where he is taught that the only motive of his life is to serve the upper class. He believes that society is divided into two segments – “one with big bellies and the other with smaller ones.”
Balram is then hired as a driver by a rich couple – Pinky and Ashok, who has come back from America solely for business purposes. Like he is taught, he leaves no stone unturned to fulfill his duties as a servant diligently and looks up to them; until an incident takes place that turns his life upside down. One night Pinky decides to drive the car in a drunk state and ends up hitting something on the road and probably killing someone. Balram then is pressured by Ashok’s family to take up the blame as it is his duty. His life is put into question. He is trapped and clustered between the class difference and the urge to be a good ‘servant’ that has been bred deep into him since the beginning. This makes him rebellious and arises the white tiger within him, one that is one of a kind.
Balram then uses his wit to rise from the ashes and establish himself equal to the higher classes of the society that seem to rule over people that suffer in poverty. The film is full of dark humor and narrations and revolves around India’s class struggle that has prevailed for centuries. But are the actions of Balram justified? Will he able to hold on to his newly acquired position?
Well, there’s no point in revealing the whole plot of the story. Viewers can find the answers to their questions on 22nd January. However, Adarsh Gourav, the protagonist, is bound to steal the show with his versatility depicted in the trailer. Overall, The White Tiger trailer appears as a dark themed drama that deserves to be watched.
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