White Tiger - 5 things to love about it. (No spoilers)

Enjoy REAL cinema? 

Here are 5 things to love about Ramin Bahrani's movie "The White Tiger" based on Aravind Adiga's mind-blowing novel. 

1. Flawless adaptation 

The usual problem of movie adaptations of books is the mal-synchronized screenplays and the lack of context in the visual medium. Books can teleport a good reader's imagination to the wildest ends of the world and that was immaculately done by Aravind Adiga in his Booker Prize winner. Director and writer Ramin Bahrani does not even erase a single bit off the taste of the narrative and of Balram's voice, and that's definitely the number 1 beauty of this movie. 

2. Adarsh Gaurav

Despite being surrounded by a stellar ensemble cast, Adarsh carries this movie fully on his shoulders performance-wise. He is so good that at certain instances I actually was taken aback by the similarity of his portrayal of Balram and the one who I had in mind while reading the book a few years ago. He is so generic, and yet so much of an individual, and such a special performer in all aspects of acting. Wah!

3. The cast (and crew for sure!) 

A huge fan of Rajkumar Rao and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, I wasn't surprised at how flawless and effortless their acting was. However I was not even slightly disappointed at the contribution of performance of the ensemble cast , especially that of Vijay Mourya, Mahesh Manjrekar, and even little Vedant Sinha- the star of "Family Man". And as Director Bahrani claimed during an interview, his crew definitely made possible the most realistic and authentic outcome a motion picture can have was elaboratedly brought forward. The editing of the movie credited to Bahrani and Tim Streeto should definitely get some accolades in my opinion. 

4. Storytelling and dialogue. 

I am a huge fan of Aravind Adiga's writing and have been actually waiting for someone to adapt the impeccable and unique narration of Balram into film ever since I first read the book and pictured a "Slum Dog Millionaire"- esque visual narrative. I was so impressed and in awe of the accuracy of Mr Bahrani's story telling which did not hinder the main narrative at all. It almost felt like the movie unfolded itself from the very book. Even the dialogue, both presented in Hindi and in English, were never out of place and were depicted meticulously by the film makers.

5. The aftertaste 

The almost-tangible aftertaste of reading The White Tiger was so wholesomely retained after watching the movie as well. Now that's something not all adapted scripts and visual presentations can do. I certainly noticed how Bahrani's cast and crew had gone out of their way to preserve the authenticity of the book so much so that the Director claimed in many interviews that he had used his technique of utilizing non-professional actors to smear the narrative with the freshness of standpoint. 

Overall , The White Tiger inspired me with a lasting impression of not just genuine artistic presentation, but also with an attested sense of hope that true artists still do exist in this world of "running-after-trends". Like to have a gut-wrenching experience of flawed characters showcasing the truth and unmasking realities of society with their perceptions? You must not miss The White Tiger. 

© Anu Madhubhashinie 

#wordswithanu 

Image courtesy: SLUG Magazine