This is my reflective blog on the Movie adaptation of White Tiger , Netflix streamed , this particular task is given by our prof, Dr.Dilip Barad sir to enhance our thinking and critical capacity towards how to review film or how to make comparative study between movie and novel. By reflecting my thoughts on this movie we are assigned to answer some of the questions witch might be part of our academic discourse.
We had a movie screening of White Tiger on 26 February 2021, as apart of academic event, here is some glimpse of the movie screening....
- How far do you agree with the India represented in the novel The White Tiger?
As, we know that our all Literatures are the reflection of the society on or the other way, weather is is about politics, economy, socialism, sexuality etc., literature plays a vital role to shaped society in a better way by portraying the realistic things of the society where we lives. After watching this movie we can clearly differentiate that we have two augers of our nation..
An India of light, and one of darkness
- The darkness of India is captured well by portraying the lifestyle of Balram in village area and the life of village people or in a ways it is about the darkness of village while an India of light captured well the life of city people, sophistication and moneymindness of city people.
- Inside darkness
- The inside darkness shows in our protagonist character that he has no no choice to make his life more worthy he's from very rural area where there's no scope of further progress.
Inside Enlightenment
- Inside enlightenment shows that there is choice to be good rather bad but the important thing is that the journey of India goes faster darkness to the light and Balram Halwai is one of them who moving towards darkness to the light.
That is the more relevant and prominent idea of being enlighten browed from the god buddha, which is again a very Indian symbolic frame to study the enlighten of buddha. this are some facts and figures shown by Adiga at the very beginning that-
- And our nation, though it has no drinking water, electricity, sewage system, public transportation, sense of hygiene, discipline, courtesy, or punctuality, does have entrepreneurs.”
The representation of religion in India:
- Let us clear that majority of such darkness or narrowness of people connected with Religion, religion becomes the driving force to construct the human mind. . Village people are superstitious in these matters. Balram satirizes on the religion first. Also he makes fun on the God and Goddesses of India.
- In the movie we can interpret that the representation of God Hanuman is in satirical way but the fact is that he is serving his master.
Representation of social structure:
- Indian social structure captures the things like superstitions, dowry, education system, cast system and what not.
- India is a nation where a people or a crowd known for their caste or religion and this is what Arvind Adiga criticize a lot to on caste system of India, By criticizing this he shows the actual image of Slave Master system in India.
- Representation of political system in India
- The base of this moviwe is in a way the currupt political or caste system as we can say that the movie is start with the first sentence –O, democracy!
It is raising question against democracy , basic human rights, politics , this novel and fil is considered as more modern work of art which captures sheer bases and problem of common life and drag us to the top of the race. where people like Balram Halwai have to break the traditional norms and cages to make them as independent being of democracy of India.
- Do you believe that Balram's story is the archetype of all stories of 'rags to riches'?
The story line of journey of a character portrays poor as central character at the end of the story the poor becomes rich.
We can see many people who are same as Balram. Same like who belongs to poor and wide family, who didn’t complete their studies, who goes to work from early childhood, and who has bearing insults from those who are rich. These types of stories shows the struggle of poor to achieve their dream and for that becoming rich. The ways of reaching to the destination of wealth might differs of each stories but the suffering always remain same. So this way we can say that Balram’s story is archetype of all stories of “Rags to Riches"
The most prominent part of the movie which is conceptual one is that He believes his own story of entrepreneurial success and his rags to riches tale will show the premier the all that fascinates and appeals to Balaram halway about the light of urban coastal India. He controls light and darkness, when he once was a slave to circumstances and others.
- "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique, deconstructive criticism aims to show that any text inevitably undermines its own claims to have a determinate meaning, and licences the reader to produce his own meanings out of it by an activity of semantic 'freeplay' (Derrida, 1978, in Lodge, 1988, p. 108). Is it possible to do deconstructive reading of The White Tiger? How?
Yes, it can be possible to deconstruct "The White Tiger ".We can deconstruct it with the help of Derrida's concept of free play of meanings, To break the language. We need to find the loose stone of it. The loose stone of "The White Tiger" is that Balram himself says that he is "Half-backed". This word breaks all the philosophy and all the ideals which Balram is presenting by giving his own example. Because he is not fully educated. He understand things which his limited power of analysis. He appropriate the deep philosophies with his shallow ideas and thinking. So this way we can deconstruct "The White Tiger ".
So far In the novel Balaram Halway's character that may be autobiography of half baked indian. It's deconstruction reading of Adiga's the white tiger and it's more perceive the character of Halway because adiga present reality of life or indian people's life by the protagonist of the novel. It self gives insight with deconstruction content and language bears express reality of culture and many other things.
- Have you identified any difference in the novel and adaptation? does it make any significant difference in the overall tone and texture of the novel?
If we are talking about the comparative study of movie adaptation and novel then one thing we must keep in our mind that this are both a different thing , the equipment's , time, investments are so far different to make such things all along here we only see the differences of movie and novel rather then finding mistakes...
- Email and date as a narration in both but with some changes
- The name of Balram Halwai by leacher and name of Munna by his parents
- Seeking for a job for driving car in both the movie and in the book (quite different)
- Even, the car accident scene, different in both the movie and in the book.
Some major incidents and description like Black fort, lizard, Balram's childhood hero Vijay and slum area of Delhi, description of Golden hair of foreign women etc.
- Portrayal of women as just a sexual object
- Portrayal of Pinky She's been developed tremendously in the movie compared to the book' Priyanka Chopra I got out Balram What is that you want to do ? Pinky(in the movie)
- Pinky has a more prominent role in the movie.
- To make her more realistic and empathetic person
- She encourages Balram to think about his own life
End of the movie
I made it, I have broken and t of the coop- Balram
• Differ from the novel
•Mysterious
•Dull than the novel
•Fails to convey the write message, Even provoke people to do murder
So, we come to know that this movie adaptation passes through many changes and some are require to make it more as cinematic version on media.
The symbols, frames and very sheer common things he had taken in a way directly touches to our heart and our mind starts thinking in particular direction where we have to ask question to our self that weather Blaram is right or wrong, whatever he did to make himself free from this slavery is in a way the best form of rebel or best form of liberate oneself ?
Ideologically this movie breaks the entire ethical norms of comman person. Generally at the end of the movie or perhaps in entire movie we keep on sympathetically connected with the hero , wherein the white tiger challenges our deepest construction of mind and at the end of the movie we are able to justify the character rather than sympathetically connected with him, we struck with the ideological situation and Balram crossed the quality of being Ideal character I think that's the best to note as successful movie adaptation.
The White Tiger’ Review: Ramin Bahrani’s Netflix Thriller Is a Brutal Corrective to ‘Slumdog Millionaire’
of course Slum dog millionaire was a great film but the way The white tiger unfolds with the struggle journey of a backward person to become rich, the journey is itself a more painful one.
How more brutal it is?
The writer of the white tiger , shows the Direct, clear and concious image of character along with the whole situation where by our protagonist surrounded by.
Majority we prefer choose the right , simple path to become successful or perhaps our construction of mind is conditions much that we can think apart from our limitations, we can left the things but aethics?
No....
Prefer murder Rather than wait for change in heart of Master....
Brutality is to convert oneself in to normal person to a murder or servent to Master. It seems like the protagonist of the white tiger Balram Halwai in a way quick learner in a very short time he understands that if I want to be a master , something very hastily I need to do, I can't wait for change or the change in heart of my master because it won't happen, such as the race of Master will never change, what I need to do is, change is my aethics as being good loyal servent.
The slumdog millionaire is again a movie with star-cross lover, a girl becomes a huge life driven force for protagonist Jamal, so far here we won't find any female character along with Balram, through this comprative study we can said that our cinema or writer still considering Female as a soft part of life, wherein in white tiger we find a very eligible, rebellious female protagonist which impact as more brutal...
The sequence of murders, rebellious characters, the dark humour on brutality perhaps more brutally seen in the white tiger, so far if we want to concern Balram Halwai as great fighter we have to admire that he is just focusing on his goal, whatever ways he use of to reach at the top , ultimately it is the only way to fight and become free from the world as a giant rooster coop.
Thank you 😊
