The White Tiger

 is a crime drama film directed by Ramin Bahrani, it is an adaptation of Aravind Adiga's bestseller of the same name. The movie follows an ambitious Indian driver who uses his wit and cunning to escape from poverty and rise to the top.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas posted on Friday, 5 March 2021 that Ramin Bahrani’s film adaptation of The White Tiger has reached number one on the service in 64 countries and would be seen by 27 million households in its first four weeks.

Summary
"The ambitious driver for a rich Indian family uses his wit and cunning to escape from poverty and become an entrepreneur. Based on the bestselling novel."

- Official Netflix synopsis

Plot
On the eve of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to India in 2010, entrepreneur Balram Halwai composes an email requesting a meeting with him while also relating his life story and his belief that there are two Indias: the impoverished “darkness” of the rural inner continent, and the “light” of the wealthier urbanized coast. He also believes that the Indian underclass is trapped in a perpetual state of servitude, much like chickens in a rooster coop; it involves both deliberate methods used by the upper class to keep them there, and a fatalistic mentality enforced by the underclass on itself.

As a child in Laxmangarh, Balram is offered a scholarship to a school in Delhi because of his advanced English and literacy skills. He is told that he is a "white tiger", someone who comes only once in a generation. However when his father is unable to pay off The Stork, the village landlord and a wealthy coal baron, Balram's grandmother forces him to work in the village's tea house to help pay off the debt. His father soon dies of untreated tuberculosis, and Balram never returns to school.

As an adult, Balram aspires to become a private driver for The Stork's son Ashok, who has returned from the United States with his New York-raised wife Pinky, believing it to be the quickest way to pull himself out of poverty. He is hired as the family's second driver, and after being forced to do other menial tasks besides driving, Balram reluctantly blackmails the number one driver into resigning in order to follow Ashok and Pinky when they move to Delhi to pursue business opportunities. In contrast to the other members of their family, Ashok and Pinky generally treat the low caste Balram with respect and eventually become closer to him, though they ultimately still view him as a servant and he is forced to live in a parking garage with other private drivers. Balram also discovers during a trip back home that his grandmother has set up an arranged marriage for him without his knowledge and against his will. Unwilling to return to his old life, he breaks off contact with his family and stops sending them money.

On Pinky's birthday, she and Ashok get drunk and force Balram to let Pinky drive, which results in her accidentally hitting and killing a pedestrian. The Stork persuades Balram to take the blame and sign a confession, and while no-one is charged due to a lack of witnesses, the episode leaves both Balram and Pinky disillusioned with Ashok and his family. Pinky leaves Ashok to return to America, leaving Balram to emotionally support him; however Balram also begins to take advantage of Ashok by charging him for unnecessary repairs and secretly using the car as an unlicensed taxi. Balram also becomes obsessed with a red sports bag Ashok brings with him to his business appointments, which he soon learns is filled with cash for bribes Ashok is giving to corrupt government officials. Balram considers stealing the bag, but fears what The Stork might do to his family as punishment.

Balram's grandmother unexpectedly sends one of his younger nephews to live with him in order to learn how to become a driver like Balram, while also threatening to send his arranged bride as well if he does not resume sending money back home to her. This setback, as well as learning that Ashok has hired a new driver to replace Balram, causes him to have an epiphany after an encounter with a white tiger at a zoo. Inspired to finally take action and break out of the proverbial rooster coop, while driving him to an appointment Balram murders Ashok and takes the bag and the money, fleeing the city with his nephew. It is implied that The Stork massacres Balram's entire family in retribution, and an arrest warrant is put out for Balram but he evades capture.

Re-establishing himself in Bangalore, Balram begins a private taxi service for call center workers, using a portion of the stolen money to bribe the local police in exchange for protection and shutting down the competition. He treats all his employees with respect despite their background, and takes personal and financial responsibility for any incidents caused by them. He has become highly successful, attaining his goal of overcoming poverty and escaping the rooster coop, and has started a new and better life with his nephew. As he signs off the email, Balram reveals that he has also changed his name, to that of Ashok Sharma.

Cast and Characters

 * Adarsh Gourav as Balram
 * Rajkummar Rao as Ashok
 * Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Pinky Madam
 * Mahesh Manjrekar as The Stork
 * Vijay Maurya as The Mongoose