Mar 09, 2021
Adarsh Gourav's Ramin Belram is such an unexpected protagonist to American audiences that it's almost surprising when The White Tiger ends when it does. Wait, the conclusion comes when our man is on top and not after the fallout of his sure-to-be-doomed master plan? It's both unexpected yet completely gratifying. To this extent, Ramin Bahrani's film (whose work I've seen thus far I've quite enjoyed) doesn't settle on simply being a story of good and evil, heroes and villains, but a film that explores how difficult it is to tell the difference these days. Based on Aravind Adiga's award-winning 2008 novel, The White Tiger sports the attitude of a satire and the tone of a crime drama as it explores the ever-expanding divide between the rich and the poor in India. That said, as much time as we spend with Belram and as much time as the film dedicates to steeping the viewer in this culture it somehow still fails to feel as if we've really become a part of Ramin's journey. The plight of Ramin is certainly felt as is a sense of sympathy for him, but the arc of the narrative and lack of any real propulsion regarding Ramin's ambition never translates in the pacing resulting in that seemingly abrupt, albeit satisfying conclusion. It's simply a shame the aforementioned journey isn't as equally as satisfying.
Verified