‘A handful of men in this country have trained the remaining 99.9 percent – as strong, as talented, as intelligent in every way- to exist in perpetual servitude. A servitude so strong that you can put the key of his emancipation in a man’s hands and he will throw it back at you with a curse ‘ Arvind Adiga – The White Tiger.
This jarring truth is uttered by Balram Halwai, the protagonist of Adiga’s book, now a widely acclaimed film on Netflix. Balram who hails from Laxmangarh village is forced to drop out from school and work to help pay his family’s debts. He goes on to get a coveted job as a driver for Ashok, the son of a rich landlord and eventually emancipates himself and realises his dream of becoming an entrepreneur after murdering his master. This is not your typical feel good story. This sordid but strangely empowering tale gripped the imagination of Producer Mukul Deora who nurtured his ambition over several years to bring it to life on screen.
The Booker prize winning novel is now an Oscar and Bafta nominated film in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay by Iranian American Director Ramin Bahrani, a college mate of Adiga who the book is actually dedicated to. Adarsh Gourav who convincingly portrays Balram has also bagged a Bafta nomination in the leading actor category.
We had an illuminating group chat with Mukul Deora and Adarsh Gourav as we all eagerly await the award ceremonies this month, and spoke to them about the trials and triumphs of bringing this ambitious project on the global stage. “Being nominated for the BAFTAs is a great honour, and we are thrilled for Ramin and Adarsh,” shared Mukul Deora.
Q: There’s a scene in the film where Ashok – Balram’s boss, tells him– You’re the New India, to which he replies ‘I am the New India Sir’. How are you both representative of the New India as far as the film industry is concerned?
Adarsh: This is a great time to be around for anyone creative. Digital platforms like Netflix, Amazon and domestic platforms have opened up so many new doors of opportunities for us. The kind of work that is happening is a lot braver and more experimental. People are willing to take risks. We now don’t have to worry about box office numbers as such. We have to worry about our own craft and focus on that. We have to be confident of who we are and push ourselves and then hope for the best to happen. I am thankful and fortunate that I am around at this point in time and just want to make the most use of it and work with directors and writers who inspire me and be part of stories that are unique and engaging. The new India that we represent is exactly the new India that Balram represents where you dare to dream and you have the resources and opportunities to realise them.
Mukul: This is a movie about a driver killing his master. Last year there was Parasite, before that Roma. Why are these stories about uncomfortable truths being made all over the world and are successful? Not just in India. Because of streamers (Netflix, Amazon) and new forms of media, there is a realisation that there was always a hunger for these stories amongst audiences. I always wanted to hear amazing, true, compelling stories, but because of the system that was there with marketing budgets being so high, and a winner takes all mentality, it was hard for 90 percent of these movies to break through and to get financed. Now because they are easily viewed by anyone on phones, etc, the audience is lapping it up over the world. White Tiger was number 1 in 61 countries. It’s an amazing story. It really resonated with me.
Adarsh you mentioned wanting to work with directors and actors who inspire, can you name a few?
There are so many. To name a few, amongst actors there’s Manoj Bajpai, Pankaj Tripathi, Rajpal Yadav , Naseeruddin Shah, Radhika Apte, Tillotama Shome they are all wonderful actors. Amongst western actors I am inspired by Anthony Hopkins, Joaquin Phoenix, Daniel Day -Lewis. Amongst directors I’d love to work with Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Devashish Makhija, Vikramaditya Motwane.
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