Review: White Tiger

Spoiler alert: If you have read the book, don't bother watching the film. White Tiger is the definitive movie (as through the book as well) that brings out the class divide in the country. And the man of the moment for this is Adarsh Gourav. It's a tell all format of narration where the protagonist is writing to the Chinese Premier about what and how he looks at things. The film belongs to Adarsh out and out. Its a role that he plays to brilliance. The body language, diction, the screen presence all are spotless and leaves you yearning for more. 

The years of honing himself in acting, singing (there is a small moment where he sings and that is so so good) and numerous workshops possibly has shaped Adarsh in to a splendid actor and he holds forth his space so well. Amongst the so called heavy weights like Priyanka Chopra, Rajkumar Rao, Mahesh Manjrekar and Vijay Maurya, Adarsh is brilliant and the fact that his character is all about owning center stage makes it all the more about the responsibility. The character of Balram Halwai has to own up and reflect on deeply and systematically the divide is writ large in the system and Adarsh seems the right guy to bring it out. In fact, the other cast members pretty much pales and that might be partly for the faulty character development process. 

In a film format where we are straight away put into the center of the action, the key is to develop the backstory in a way that viewers are led to it or perhaps help us connect. And this is where White Tiger falters. The depravity of the moment and the way the characters are built in a hurry are perhaps what makes White Tiger as a film a tad too cumbersome for watch. Director Ramin Bahrani's second outing Chop Shop based on the New York street hustle culture stands out better. The characterization there is more pronounced and works towards the central plot. And I guess that is where the problem with White Tiger is. When you adapt a book, the challenge is often the cinematic adaptation and the characterization of the "character". Some creative license you have when writing may not be there when making a cinema. Some of the best writings of Shakespeare is always adaptable from the perspective of the Director. A Vishal Bhardwaj to Kenneth Branagh may have their own iteration and Shakespeare gives you that leverage (or is it the depth of writing). But, with a novel (White Tiger) set in a contextual time, the characters I guess need to work doubly hard to bring in the conflict, which in this case was the caste divide. 

What could have worked better for White Tiger may be difficult to contemplate, as it is easy to write or criticize anything as a rank outsider, but a Danny Boylish approach with Slumdog kind of stuff looked a more logical one. With the classic potboiler watermark in the entire overture of Slumdog, the film perhaps was able to hold you for long and even till the end. And even at the end if you would have cursed Boyle and his brand of stereotyping India and it's in your face poverty; yet we enjoyed it. And, that is why White Tiger left me only appreciating Adarsh Gaurav, his talent and his performance.

White Tiger premiered on Netflix. Go watch!