The White Tiger is a very interesting film that debuted on Netflix last week. The movie is based off of the novel of the same name by author Aravind Adiga. The film tells the story of Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav), a man who was born in poverty but forges his own unexpected path to entrepreneurship. The novel that The White Tiger was based on won the Booker Prize in 2008, an award that is granted to whatever novel is deemed the best of the year that has been published in the U.K or Ireland. Here we’re going to break down the White Tiger ending for anyone that was a little confused.
The White Tiger was critically acclaimed upon it’s premiere, and was directed by Ramin Bahrani, who also wrote the screenplay.
The White Tiger debuted on Netflix last week and was second on Netflix’s list of top ten movies the week of the film’s released. The Huffington Post recommended The White Tiger as one of the best January Netflix movie releases to watch.
A Bit More Background on the Story
A theme of The White Tiger is the conflicts that arise when one tries escaping circumstances that they’re set with at birth. Can Halwai escape being poor by working for a couple far richer than him? The crux of the conflict of The White Tiger begins when Halwai figures out a way to go from being second driver to primary driver for rich couple Ahsok (Rajkummar Rao) and Pinky (Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who was also one of the film’s executive producers.)
Check out the official trailer for The White Tiger below.
Spoilers: The Ending of The White Tiger Explained
Halwai ends up killing his employer, Ahsok. How did Halwai get to that point? After a terribly tragic car crash. On the night of Pinky’s birthday she gets very drunk. She and Ahsok and Halwai are all in the car, but the couple has Pinky take over driving duties. She ends up killing a child, and then later Halwai’s employers have him take the blame.
Although Halwai does agree to sign the confession (or was forced into it, depending on your point of view) he eventually reaches his breaking point with Ahsok after Halwai learns that Ahsok has replaced him with a new driver. He kills Ahsok, and runs away with a bundle of money and a relative in tow.
The film begins with a motif introduced in the beginning. The White Tiger is supposed to be born only once a generation, rare and legendary. At the end of the movie, Halwai uses the money he took to start his own business: White Tiger Drivers, where his employees are treated with the dignity that Halwai himself never received.
The White Tiger is a compelling film that explores India’s caste system and social classes. You can read a NPR report here featuring viewpoints from Indian citizens and their thoughts on the film’s accuracy. What did you think of The White Tiger?
You can watch The White Tiger only on Netflix.
