The White Tiger (Netflix) - Not a Review
D Meera Chithirappaavai
The universe has a very unique way around with coincidences & subtexts! Too abstract a statement? Let me give you details…
Yesterday, after a very long time I had the chance to have some “me time” by the sea. I spent close to an hour staring into nothing. But the pointless staring was forced to end as I noticed 10 happy women dancing the “kummi” (Danced mostly by Tamil women in a circular formation. It’s a rhythmic movement performed by continuous clapping & moving)
The social conditioning that I have gone through couldn’t stop me from noticing that they looked like the women who usually work as domestic help at privileged households. But soon my thoughts were driven to the fact that movies never actually capture women of this particular strata as happy, carefree & spirited! While this thought was lingering around, today I happened to watch “The White Tiger” on Netflix.
The feature film, The White Tiger, based on the popular novel by Aravind Adiga forces us to view certain ignored nuances of the democratic India! The story continuously plays around with contrasts & extremes. It impartially takes the viewer through the lives of both the high & low class of the country using its key characters. Though the story’s timeline is set in 2007, the relevance & familiarity with the current scenario is both alarming & sadening. Not that I sat around hoping that in just a decade every class, caste, creed, religious discrimination that rule our nation will vanish but I hoped that some things would have started to fade. Unfortunately, I realise that nothing has changed or probably it wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said the situation has worsened.
The protagonist Balaram, played by Adarsh Gourav is a role that is sure to stay with you (for not-so-pleasant reasons) long after watching the film. The convincing performance of Adarsh, leaves the viewer thinking how unaware each one of us are! We are unaware that our casual classism today gives birth to a ruthless Balaram kind of character tomorrow.
The lack of gratitude & humility for the privileges we hold which comes to us at the cost of the poverty of many lives stands as the crux of this 2 hour long drama. Rajkumar Rao & Priyanka Chopra as the USA return couple Ashok & Pinky play a convincing act to their character sketch.
The film deserves a watch for Balaram’s character arch & also for each viewer to receive a reality check!
Are we all paying enough attention to the people around us? Is our self centeredness blinding us away? Do we realise the impact we have on people who are dependent on us for their livelihood? Are our privileges somebody else’s misery? A train of questions coupled with a dark & haunting storyline catches you unaware while watching the movie!
Though the women I noticed at the beach were happy and Balram's character in the movie is contrasting to that, what I have come to realise is that maybe I am NOT paying enough attention! I can exercise & acknowledge my privileges in a responsible manner, but am I doing so?
A lot to think & a lot more to act!
The universe has a very unique way around with coincidences & subtexts!