Lost in Adaptation
A controlled explosion of confused anger
Short Form Review
This cinematic adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger by Ramin Bahrani purrs in a controlled explosion of confused anger rather than roar in fury against a discriminatory system. The film follows Balram Halwai’s (Adarsh Gourav) journey, from being a servile driver to Ashok (Rajkummar Rao) and his wife Pinky (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
For the most part, the film relies heavily on narration. While the book tends to be right in its tone of reflection, the narration in the film becomes an oral social commentary rather than storytelling. The visuals crave for more energy and imagination than the film manages to derive from the dark cynical tone of the book. In trying to project the contradictions of its lead character, “straight and crooked, mocking and believing, sly and sincere”, the movie does not allow the audience to feel any sustained emotion.
Adarsh Gourav gives an exceptional performance as Balram who smiles impishly, raves deliriously to himself, screaming and lost in an inner struggle to fight against a lifetime of conditioned responses. But he remains unsupported by a screenplay that is not willing to go as far as him.