The White Tiger (2021) on Netflix
Balram Halwai, a village boy, works in a tea stall. He persuades his grandmother to pay for driving lessons, hoping to become chauffeur to the landlord's son, Ashok.
- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb7.1/1070,868 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes91%
Trailer
Plot summary
Balram Halwai grows up in Laxmangarh, where a scholarship to a school in Delhi falls away after his father cannot pay off the village landlord, the Stork. His grandmother puts him to work in a tea stall. As a young man he sets his sights on driving for the Stork's son Ashok, who has come back from the United States with his wife Pinky, raised in Jackson Heights. His grandmother pays for his driving lessons against a share of the wages he hopes to earn. Hired as the household's second driver, Balram runs menial errands and is treated as a servant, kept in line by the threat that any betrayal would cost his family their lives. Ashok and Pinky plan a move to Delhi, where Ashok is to bribe politicians.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The White Tiger (2021)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Director Ramin Bahrani turned down established Bollywood stars for the part of Balram, saying he wanted the lead to be from India and preferably unknown because it matched the character and the story of an underdog.
- Adarsh Gourav prepared for the lead role of Balram by living anonymously in a remote village in Jharkhand and working 12 hours a day washing plates.
- Producer John Hart sued the film's makers for copyright infringement, citing a March 2009 literary auction agreement with author Aravind Adiga that he said required an Oscar-worthy Hollywood release, and the Delhi High Court rejected his plea.
- Ramin Bahrani said the hardest part of adapting the novel was cutting things out: when he put everything in, the script came to 200 pages.
