Produced by Netflix and clearly aimed at an international, or at least a western, audience Ramin Bahrani's film version of Aravind Adiga's best-selling novel "The White Tiger" is a 'modern' Indian's vision of India filtered through western eyes. It's hero, Balram, (an excellent Adarsh Gourav), is an ambitious lower-caste servant who finagles his way into a rich landlord's home as a driver before circumstances force him to take drastic action to better himself and become, as he describes it, an entrepreneur.
it's an entertaining movie crammed full of 'local colour' with an eye very much on the tourist market but it lacks depth. Themes like poverty, the caste-system and political corruption, (rife it would appear), are glossed over in favour of a thriller plot as if dwelling on these issues in any detail would detract from what is primarily 'an entertainment'. The film feels a little too "Slumdog Millionaire" when it should be "Wall Street" with Gourav as both Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen. By the time it moves into darker territory it feels more than a little contrived. Still, it's redeemed by Gourav's outstanding performance, clearly marking him out as a talent to watch in the future.
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