[ad_1]
And then, as already shown to us at the very beginning of the film, something quite serious happens. I will not go into much detail, but the incident opens Balram’s eyes to the sobering truth about his relationship with his employers. He continues to work for them, but he also becomes more cynical than before, and starts taking advantage of them to attain what he has yearned for years. The movie, which is based on the novel of the same name by Aravind Adiga, then accumulates more tension on-screen from Adarsh Gourav’s quietly intense performance. Although Balram is not a very good person, he is still quite a compelling human figure, and Gourav’s nuanced acting palpably conveys to us Balram’s longtime hunger and ambition without making any excuse at all.
One notable weak aspect of the film is that its supporting characters are broad stereotypes, though its supporting performers are at least well-cast. Mahesh Manjrekar and Vijay Maurya are suitably deplorable in their respective supporting roles, but Rajkummar Rao’s performance as Ashok is often limited by an under-developed character despite his efforts. I also wish the movie delved more into his character’s complicated relationship with Balram. In the case of Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who also served as one of the executive producers of the film, her character unfortunately ends up being no more than a mere plot element, which is a shame considering how she brings a little extra perspective to the movie as another outsider figure in the story (besides Balram).
There are also several other flaws, including a finale that arrives too quickly, but “The White Tiger” holds our attention to the end thanks to Bahrani’s skillful direction. After he drew my attention via his first three feature films “Man Push Cart” (2005), “Chop Shop” (2007), and “Goodbye Solo” (2008), Bahrani impressed me further with his next two films “At Any Price” (2012) and “99 Homes” (2014), confirming that he is one of the most interesting American filmmakers at present. Although it’s more conventional compared to most of his previous films, “The White Tiger,” which garnered him his first Oscar nomination after Netflix released it in early 2021, is still worth a watch because he tries something different here. I admired its strong parts more when I recently revisited it.
[ad_2]