Directed By Ramin Bahrani, The White Tiger is based on the New York Times bestseller and 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning novel.
Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav) narrates his epic and darkly humorous rise from poor villager to successful entrepreneur in modern India.
Cunning and ambitious, our young hero jockeys his way into becoming a driver for Ashok (Rajkummar Rao) and Pinky (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), who has just returned from America.
Society has trained Balram to be one thing – a servant – so he makes himself indispensable to his rich masters.
But after a night of betrayal, he realises the corrupt lengths they will go to trap him and save themselves.
On the verge of losing everything, Balram rebels against a rigged and unequal system to rise up and become a new kind of master.
Speaking on the film, Priyanka says: “I’m so excited to work with (director) Ramin Bahrani and Netflix to bring Aravind Adiga’s poignant story to cinematic life.
When I read the book, I was fascinated with the perspective of the narrative. The story’s portrayal of raw ambition and the extent one will go to, in order to achieve one’s goals is riveting.
I look forward to filming this in India this fall and also working along with Rajkummar for the first time and the wonderful cast Ramin is putting together.”
The film touches on familiar themes in Bahrani’s film work: institutionalised poverty, feudal culture, class and status all wrapped up in a vivid, cinematic thrill ride that explodes with life.
Adding to this, Adarsh Gourav says: “The White Tiger. I still can’t believe that I got the opportunity to embody a character as fascinating and complex as Balram Halwai.
The central part in a Man booker prize winner book is something that I could only dream of! As best put by Ramin over a phone call last night, ‘Enjoy it! The fear and excitement. You might never feel like this again’.”
Watch our interview with Ramin Bahrani, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Adarsh Gourav here:
The White Tiger launches globally on Netflix on 22nd January.
