Film Review of Ramin Bahrani’s The White Tiger: 

A Dream or a Trap?

Figure 1. The White Tiger film poster. (Image by Amie Cranswick, December 24, 2020, Flickering Myth Limited, https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/12/the-white-tiger-gets-a-trailer-and-poster-from-netflix/).

“The American Dream” is rooted in the 19th century during the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which maintains the belief that every individual is born equal and possesses the right to liberty and happiness (CFI, par. 1, 3). In our mainstream culture, we represent the American Dream as the ladder to climb up to a promising future and freedom in taking charge of our own life. However, it has led to a debate on whether the Dream is a threat or an opportunity in South Asia. The Dream could be a double-edged interpretation, with one encouraging social mobility and the other intensifying the cultural divide. 

Considering that the American Dream has led to judgments and negative influences in South Asia society, this essay examines the socio-political problems caused by the increasing domination of capitalism into India in the fabric of The White Tiger. The White Tiger (125 minutes, English and Hindi) is a 2021 Indian-based American crime film adapted from the 2008 novel of the same name written by  Aravind Adiga (Sanjana 2021, par. 1). The film is directed by Ramin Bahrani and distributed by Netflix, and was nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category in Oscars 2021 (Kanyal 2021, par. 1). The film concerns the cultural disparities between insiders and outsiders via the protagonist, Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav)’s voiceover of his pursuit of success. Ramin Bahrani also made other films such as Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, 99 Homes and At Any Price through the eyes of the marginal groups, situating social unfairness, corruption and immorality into western culture (Hadadi 2021, par. 1).

Figure 2. Screenshot of Halwai and Ashok in The White Tiger. (Image by Amie Cranswick, December 24, 2020, Flickering Myth Limited, https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/12/the-white-tiger-gets-a-trailer-and-poster-from-netflix/).

First, the diffusion of western culture within the force of globalization catalyzes the extreme cultural divide between the high-caste and low-caste population in India. Regarding costumes, the wealthy couple, Ashok (Rajkummar Rao) and Pinky (Priyanka Chopra), emerged in smart casual American-style outfits. One wears a slim-cut polo suit and styled trimmed wax hair, and one wears yoga pants and styled curl brown-dyed hair. Comparatively, Halwai appears as a blue-collar worker dressing up in driver suit. The dialogue also solidly crafts their different technological experience that the wealthy couple introduces computer, the internet and Facebook to Halwai. For diegetic sound, the master couple speaks English in an American accent while Halwai has an Indian accent. For non-diegetic sounds, Indian drumbeat and American rap music are respectively applied to Halwai’s native Indian background and the couple with an American-educated background. In comparison between the rich couple and Halwai, the costumes, dialogue and soundtracks of the story work together to highlight the distance between western and local habitats. According to Robbie B. H. Goh’s “Narrating “Dark” India in Londonstani and The White Tiger: Sustaining Identity in the Diaspora,” the power of globalization has led to the diverse cultural identity between different sections in India (Goh 2011, 327). In the film, the couple’s American background influences their cultural value and lifestyle. Comparing with Halwai, they refuse to adopt the Indian’s living patterns rooted in Indian classism but embody American ethos shown as inclusion and individualism. And therefore, the film communicates that the domination of western culture in high-caste society directs distinct cultural focus between the Indian wealthy and poor. While those upper-class population fit in the global world, the underprivileged search for a domestic stand. Setting off from the caste system and the flow of western culture, the film is considered a valuable art piece in discussing polar cultural experiences between the Indian high-caste and low-caste sections.

 

Figure 3. Screenshot of Halwai and Pinky in The White Tiger. (Image by Amie Cranswick, December 24, 2020, Flickering Myth Limited, https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/12/the-white-tiger-gets-a-trailer-and-poster-from-netflix/).

Second, The White Tiger conveys that the American Dream is an advertisement to exploit India's low caste working class. The narration and personality of Halwai progress through three stages. In the beginning, he gets accepted for the driver position from his master and meets his socialist political idol for the first time at the landlord’s home that he had seen on election posters. The style of Halwai’s narration is energetic, while his character setting is shining and innocent. Halwai’s narration becomes suspicious, and his persona becomes pessimistic when he later witnesses the bribery between the landlord family and his political idol for their involvement in illegal coal mining. In the latter half of the film, Halwai narrates in a ruthless and strict voice, and his persona shifts to be invasive when he becomes the scapegoat for Pinky’s traffic hit. And therefore, the narrative tone and personality make a whole alongside socio-political corruption, exploitation and immorality. The film communicates about the shallowness of the American Dream and implies that tricks are the hidden key to fame, wealth and authority, with the clue that both the landlord and the wealthy couple take advantage of their political background and economic influence to control the nature of the social system. According to Wani Imityaz. Ahmad’s “The Cultural Dominance of West in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger,” the western world captures the mind of the eastern audience through advertisements (Wani 2015, 1166). It explains that the American Dream is considered as a bourgeois ideology to induce low-caste Indians to labour for the higher class and high culture, in evidence of election fraud via the advertised political star. The film could have further portrayed the conflicts between Pinky and Halwai since Pinky is the only character who captures Halwai’s thoughts. Overall, the film effectively discusses the social illusion in India under the diffusion of western ideology. In the American Dream advertisement, Pinky symbolizes an ideal class while Halwai represents the commodity that serves the high culture.

Figure 4. Screenshot of Halwai in The White Tiger. (Image by Amie Cranswick, December 24, 2020, Flickering Myth Limited, https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/12/the-white-tiger-gets-a-trailer-and-poster-from-netflix/).

Third, the “Indian Dream” becomes a spin-off product manufactured by the American Dream. According to Lily Want’s “The Poetics and Politics of Cultural Studies in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger,” The White Tiger reviews the contest of political and economic power between upper-class parties in Indian society (Want 2011, 71). In  the film, point-of-view is applied to Halwai’s perspective in his witnesses of the bribery and the political celebrities. The dark green and purple-red hue are involved in many real-life shots and Halwai’s self-manifestations to portray his consciousness of unlawful individual gains and exploitation. High angle shot illustrates his entrepreneurial status at the end of the film, while his narration throughout the film is interspersed with flashbacks directing to the time when he was still a “servant.” These elements collaborate and make a whole with the narrative by chronologically showing his persona transformation, from an innocent driver to an invasive revenger and ultimately a high authority. Halwai mentions, "America is so yesterday; India and China are so tomorrow." The denouncement of the film gives rise to the “socialist dream,” which delivers another level of interpretation by associating Halwai's suffering from the bourgeois family to his loss of fantasies and trust in the American Dream and finally a spark to thrive the “Indian Dream.” The writer references a phrase from Adiga, “an India of Darkness and an India of Light” to associate Halwai’s ambitions in his path to prosperity (Want 2011, 71). When he was still a driver working for an Indian American family, he has an American Dream, but it was his time of “Darkness.” He is meant to be a commodity that his master can exploit and replace him with any one of those low caste "candidates" like him. At the end of the film, Halwai adds, "I've switched ideas.” “Light” comes across when he becomes an Indian entrepreneur in the rising generation of India and China. Following the launch of the “socialist dream," the juxtaposition of the two “Dreams” successfully provokes a sublime for the film.

In the fabric of The White Tiger, this essay analyses the diffusion of western culture into India and the subsequent influences bring to Indian society. Although the American Dream defines as a better life, it becomes an engine to intensify socio-political problems and cultural divide resulted in increasing influences of capitalism into South Asia under the force of globalization. The domination of western culture directs a distinct cultural focus into Indian society. Second, the American Dream is considered a western ideology that intensifies the exploitation of the low caste working class to serve the high caste Indian and high culture. Third, the "Indian Dream" becomes a spin-off product manufactured by the American Dream. Halwai considers himself refusing to live in a borrowed life. However, he withdraws his original name and utilizes the name of his master “Ashok” at the end of the film. If Halwai rejects to live in the past, why does he want to substitute and get beyond his former master? And why does he want to withdraw from the American Dream and launch another “Dream?” If there is no American Dream, will there be an Indian Dream? We do not know whether Halwai will end up in corruption with the Chinese Prime Minister; if he does, he is probably still living in “Darkness”.

Bibliography

CFI Education Inc. “American Dream.”  Accessed April 10, 2021. https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/american-dream/.

 

Cranswick, Amie. “The White Tiger gets a trailer and poster from Netflix.” Flickering Myth Limited. December 24, 2020.

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/12/the-white-tiger-gets-a-trailer-and-poster-from-netflix/.

 

Goh, Robbie B. H. “Narrating “Dark” India in Londonstani and The White Tiger: Sustaining Identity in the Diaspora.” Journal of Commonwealth Literature 46, no.2 (2011): 327-344.

https://journals-sagepub-com.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/doi/pdf/10.1177/0021989411404995.

 

Hadadi, Roxana. “No Easy Answers: Ramin Bahrani on The White Tiger.” Roger Ebert.com. January 28, 2021.

https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/no-easy-answers-ramin-bahrani-on-the-white-tiger.

 

Kanyal, Jyoti. “Priyanka Chopra says announcing The White Tiger Oscars nomination made it more special.” India Today. March 16, 2021. https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/hollywood/story/priyanka-chopra-says-announcing-the-white-tiger-oscars-nomination-made-it-more-special-1779794-2021-03-16.

 Kalyanpur, Sanjana. “Is 'The White Tiger' A True Story? Know Details About The Mega Hit Movie.” Republic TV. January 25, 2021. https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/hollywood-news/is-the-white-tiger-a-true-story-know-details-about-the-mega-hit-movie.html.

Want, Lily. “The Poetics and Politics of Cultural Studies in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger.” Asiatic 5, no. 1 (June 2011): 69-77.

https://journals.iium.edu.my/asiatic/index.php/ajell/article/view/537/504.

 

Wani, Imityaz. Ahmad. “The Cultural Dominance of West in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger.” The Dawn Journal 4, no.2 (December 2015): 1161-1170.

https://thedawnjournal.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5-Satpal-Singh.pdf.