The White Tiger, based on Arvind Adiga's Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name, is one of Netflix's latest releases. Even though the Hindi/English narrative is set entirely in India, Ramin Bahrani helms the writing and direction of the movie. And still, The White Tiger seems to succeed at getting over fetishized Indian stereotypes as seen in other foreign productions and instead uses dark humor to delve into actual Indian issues like the rural-urban divide, casteism, Islamophobia, and so on.

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The protagonist is Balram (Adarsh Gourav), a poor villager who harbors dreams of making it in a capitalistic urban society. While facing his everyday struggles as a rich man's driver, he desperately plans to get to the top of the social pyramid.  Apart from a biting satire on Indian elitism, the movie also provides social commentary on an ever-growing income gap in India.

Serious Men (2020)

A still from Serious Men starring Nawzauddin Siddiqui

Serious Men is a Hindi-language Netflix drama that explores how the privileged sections inherit social and intellectual capital quite comfortably in contrast with others. Seeing the 'serious men' above him thrive with such privilege, a lower-caste slum-dweller tries his best to rise through the ranks. After getting a decent job as a research assistant, he tries his best to get his son into a prestigious school so that he gets a better chance at life.

Starring the ever-dynamic Nawazuddin Siddiqui (who has appeared in many other Indian Netflix originals), the movie offers a lot to interpret, touching upon both the protagonist's attempts to secure his son's future as well as the toxic fatherhood he ends up imparting given his desperate circumstances.

Roma (2018)

A still from Roma

Alfonso Cuarón's Roma is a heartfelt portrait of a young woman in 70s Mexico. Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) serves a domestic help to a family of four children while socio-political turbulence takes place around her. Every frame of the movie seems to be theatrical or eventful but Cleo's life on its own is filled with solitude. She faces heartbreak from a former lover while her employer also goes through a divorce around the same time.

Eventually, the two start bonding as the latter begins to see Cleo as a fellow emotional being, rather than just another servant. With subtle cues, Roma attempts to understand how certain hardworking members of the society are often ignored or unheard, owing to their lower economic or social status.

Sorry To Bother You (2018)

Lakeith Stanfield sitting at his computer in Sorry To Bother You

A dystopian sci-fi fantasy satire. Perhaps that's how Sorry To Bother You can be described as. Exploring a unique concept, the movie tackles many issues all at once without making the narrative overcrowded with its surreal elements.

At the heart of Boots Riley's directorial debut is Lakeith Stanfield who plays Cassius Green, a young telemarketer who chances upon a 'white accent' as the secret to corporate success. After passing off as 'white', Green's career rises to new heights only to distance him from his performance artist girlfriend (Tessa Thompson) and his disgruntled who wish to wage a revolution against the uber-rich.

The Intouchables (2011)

A still from The Intouchables

The relationship between the employer and the employee in The White Tiger stems from a heartwarming place eventually descending into a downward spiral of spite and hatred.

A more wholesome and escapist watch in such a context would be the modern French classic The Intouchables. Inspired by a true story, the movie focuses on a disabled nobleman (François Cluzet)who starts having a cynical look at life. A streetsmart immigrant (Omar Sy) wishing to make quick money starts serving as a caretaker to him, planting the seeds of a beautiful friendship. Because of their social differences, the two don't seem to get along at first but with new experiences, they only become inseparable.

Parasite/Gisaengchung (2019)

Parasite movie poster showing the family on the frontyard.

Doubling as a dark comedy and a spine-chilling thriller, Parasite is the ultimate proof of writer-director Bong Joon-ho's blending of cinema with social observations. Even though he has incorporated such themes in most of his filmography, Parasite succeeded in converting his undertones on the rich-poor divide into blatantly real overtones.

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Struggling with finances, the Kim family decide to fake their personas to gain employment at the Park family's rich household. But as they continue their parasitic lifestyle taking advantage of the rich, dark secrets begin to be unleashed. Apart from the unpredictable thrills, Parasite captures the contrast between the two families in movingly effective scenes.

The Remains Of The Day (1993)

Mr Stevens and Miss Kenton in The Remains of the Day

How loyal can one be to their so-called 'master' if their political inclinations don't match? The Remains Of The Day is set in the aftermath of such an incident as a dutiful butler (Anthony Hopkins) in wartime-Britain realizes that the master whom he serves, is a Nazi sympathizer.

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The remainder of the movie focuses on the internal dilemmas that the butler faces while deciding on his course of action for the future. A slow-burning human drama, the British movie is a faithful adaptation of the Booker-winning novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.

The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie/Le Charme Discret De La Bourgeoisie (1972)

Everyone sits around the dinner table in The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie (1972)

The bourgeoisie in any society in any part of the world can choose to have an escapist view of the world or be socially aware of the ground realities around them. Whatever be the case, the ruling class or the upper crust of society would still be confined within their own privileged bubbles, their jargon-filled conversations on change and revolution hardly reaching the demographic that actually desires the same change and revolution.

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Such complex themes are explored in Luis Bunel's comedy that weaves certain 'plotless' vignettes of wealthy, influential people talking at fancy dinner parties.

Scarface (1983)

Scarface

Balram's first-person narration of his rags-to-riches story on living the dream of becoming his own master is one that seems to recall classic gangster flicks or dramas that are centered on living 'the American dream'.

Brian DePalma's rendition of Scarface perfectly sums up both themes, covering the rise and fall of a Cuban immigrant (Al Pacino) as he falls into a life of crime. The cocaine-fueled Tony Montana is the classic antihero who tries his best to get closer to his dreams, even if his path is an illegal one. While it's a classic worth watching, modern interpretations can also help in offering constructive criticism of the hypermasculine and polarizing Cuban-American elements of the narrative.

Shoplifters/Manbiki Kazoku (2018)

A still from Shoplifters

This heartfelt Japanese drama focuses on a dysfunctional band of poor 'shoplifters' who lead a simple, 'under the radar' existence in suburban Tokyo.

Shoplifters paints a mellow picture of the ones abandoned by society but not at the cost of romanticizing their melancholia. Writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda's storytelling style boasts of naturalistic elements instead that prioritize emotion over dramatics.

Nayak: The Hero (1966)

Uttam Kumar in Nayak

Directed by iconic Indian director Satyajit Ray, Nayak is a Bengali-language drama that serves as a collection of memories in a popular actor's life. The actor (Uttam Kumar) encounters a journalist on a train journey, who tries asking him personal questions.

Compelled to confront his past, he introspects on how his stardom came at the cost of his conscience. Shifting through anecdotes, one understands the movie's nayak's (hero) trials and tribulations in gaining enough clout to join the rich and often-hypocritical members of his life.

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