This may come as a surprise to many but novelist Aravind Adiga dedicated his 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning novel ‘The White Tiger” to American-Iranian director Ramin Bahrani. The two have been close friends since college and it is only valid that the friends further their collaboration with the new Netflix adaptation that is being slated as an Oscar contender. The streaming service released the first trailer for The White Tiger in what looks like a December release aiming for the Oscars.
Bahrani is well-known for directing acclaimed films like “Fahrenheit 451″ and the 2014 indie film ‘”99 Homes” starring Andrew Garfield and Micheal Shanon. The White Tiger stars Adarsh Gourav, Rajkumar Rao, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas and from the looks of it seems to be a direct tonal take from the darkly comical novel.
Following the life of Balram Halwai (Gourav) the source material is about a young man whose social stature in the Indian class system fails to give wings to his sharp skills to become a man of his own. The film follows his life as a car driver for the affluent Ashok to the shambles of high-class corruption and eventual breakage of the realms.
Ava DuVernay and Priyanka Chopra Jonas serve as producers of the film that has been stalled multiple times since 2012 where it was supposed to be directed by “In the Bedroom” fame Todd Field. “The White Tiger” debuts on Netflix on 22nd January and will have a limited theatrical release in December.
Watch The White Tiger Trailer
