THE WHITE TIGER - REVIEW

RAPID REVIEW: An inconsistent yet thought-provoking take on the typically disregarded master-servant relationship, with its lead performance screaming for an Oscar 

PLATFORM: Netflix       

GENRE: Dark-Comedy, Crime

PREMISE: Brainwashed by his poverty-stricken community to be a lifelong servant, an underprivileged but canny villager Balram Halwai makes his way to become a driver for Ashok, the younger son of his affluent landlord, in Dhanbad.

Contented initially with a city-job and by serving his chosen Master - Ashok, Balram eventually realizes the obnoxious truth behind his master-servant relationship, after an unfortunate incident involving Ashok’s American-Indian wife Pinky.

Owing to his growing feeling of dispensability and renewed ambition, a disillusioned Balram plans for an act of ruthless revenge against his Master, with unforeseen consequences. 

Adarsh Gourav (Mom, Rukh) in and as The White Tiger has effortlessly played the titular role with a rare, raw finesse. On one hand, he has innately ingrained the dialect of villager Balram Halwai and the body language and mannerisms of a faithful servant in the subsequent reels. On the other hand, he has portrayed the character’s transformation to a frantic rebel with commendable authenticity. His act in the critical confession scene is spot-on.

Raj Kumar Rao (Shahid, Newton, Kai Po Che), as Balram’s Master - Ashok, is flawless as usual. He got the America-returned dialect mostly right and brilliantly carries through the subtle nuances of his peripheral but important character arc. 

Priyanka Chopra Jonas smartly makes use of her American stay to bring to life Pinky’s independent American-Indian woman character. Also being the film’s executive producer, she had perfectly cast herself for the role. Nothing deeply profound here but sincere. 

Other notable performances were those of Mahesh Manjrekar as the landlord and Vijay Maurya, who played the role of Raj Kumar Rao’s elder brother. Both suited their parts quite well. 

Adapted from Aravind Adiga’s Man Booker Prize-winning book of the same name, the film explores the often overlooked concept of the eccentric master-servant relationship, rendered with a dark-comedic undertone. Although based and filmed in India, the underlying concept can be existent in the underprivileged segments of any country. The Director Ramin Bahrani did well to make the viewers contemplate this under-analyzed yet daunting notion. 

The essence of the film can best be described by the protagonist-narrator’s analogy where he perceives Indian servants as being caught in a ‘rooster coop’ and unable to get out of it. But in this film, this servant Balram somehow finds the way and the motivation to break free, albeit with a monstrous personal sacrifice. 

In this rags-to-riches rendition, there is a discernible ‘Slumdog’ feel to the narrative style - which was accused of the infamous ‘Western Gaze’ and outrageously depicting India by intentionally or unintentionally inducing shock and awe. However, both these films are adapted by foreign filmmakers from books written by Indian authors. 

Unlike Danny Boyle’s more polished Slumdog Millionaire, the pacing of this film is uneven as it drags a bit post 30 minutes and again picks up pace after the accident scene, then slows down briefly just before a spine-chilling climax. 

I really admired the Director’s nuanced handling of Ashok’s (Raj Kumar Rao’s) character arc from sympathetic and likable to cold and distant. For instance, initially, the character becomes embarrassed every time the driver Balram opens the car door for him, but later he sub-consciously expects him to do so. Then, during the climactic reels, when Balram asks Ashok - “The Sheraton (Hotel) Sir?”, Ashok was distracted to even realize how Balram already knew his destination. It was a blunder because his former chemistry with Balram could have saved him from Balram’s ire.

Few filmmakers have such an eye for details. Attentive viewers would get the oblique warning message: “You should be careful about what you say in front of your servants”. 

The film also boasts of some really cool one-liners. For instance, “Do we loathe our masters behind our facade of love or do we love our masters behind our facade of loathing?” ; “Every master has to know exactly where their servants’ families live. In case they steal. This is how the rooster coop works. How it traps them.” ; “Is there any hatred in the world like the hatred of the No.2 servant?” etc. 

The background score by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans is emotionally in sync with the ongoing narrative. The film’s soundtrack comprises eight songs, that never disrupt the flow of the scenes. In fact, they complement the characters’ state of mind and help move the story forward. The film’s editing by Ramin Bahrani and Tim Streeto leaves a lot to be desired courtesy of the film’s uneven pacing. However, the rustic locales and the capital city have been quintessentially captured by cinematographer Paolo Carnera. 

PROS: 

Adarsh Gourav’s method acting. 

Thought-provoking one-liners. 

Meticulous Direction by Ramin Bahrani. 

CONS: 

Inconsistent pacing. 

English-speaking villager seemed unrealistic and silly.

RECOMMENDED.

MY VERDICT: 7/10