The White Tiger marks the latest release from a prominent American filmmaker, and includes some notable names from Indiana cinema. In the 21st century, director Ramin Bahrani has established himself as a true auteur with several progressive productions, and now tells a story based on a New York Times bestseller. The White Tiger follows a young man from a village near New Delhi who dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Thematically, The White Tiger focuses on privilege and power in India. The Hindi protagonist Balram Halwai opens the film with cultural commentaries about his lot in life, and how he must "eat" before he's "eaten up" by society. When a native villager named Ashok returns home with his wife, Pinky, Balram recognizes an opportunity to align himself with successful people. From there, he must decide if loyalty and morality are more important than long-term survival, with the narrative making a brief yet telling reference to the feel-good 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire.
The White Tiger main cast includes an up-and-coming actor in the main role, along with a world-famous Bollywood star in a supporting role. The rest of the cast may not be well-known to casual streamers who aren't familiar with Indiana cinema, but we have included some notes below about where their films can be streamed. Here's a cast and character guide for The White Tiger on Netflix.
Adarsh Gourav As Balram Halwai
Adarsh Gourav stars as Balram Halwai, a young Indian man from the village of Laxmangarh who dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur. Gourav is best known for starring in the TV series Die Trying, Leila, and Hostel Daze (now streaming on Amazon Prime). He made his movie debut as Rizvan in the 2010 film My Name Is Khan and later portrayed Dhruv Mathur in Rukh.
Priyanka Chopra As Pinky Madam
Priyanka Chopra co-stars as Pinky Madam, an NYU-educated woman whose parents live in Jackson Heights, New York. A Bollywood superstar, Chopra is best known in the West for starring as Alex Parrish in Quantico. She also portrayed Victoria Leeds in the 2017 Baywatch film and appeared as Isabella in Isn't It Romantic. Chopra is married to American musician Nick Jonas.
The White Tiger's Supporting Cast & Characters
Mahesh Manjrekar as The Stork: The landlord who rules over Balram's village and collects one-third of earnings. In mainstream cinema, Mahesh Manjrekar is best known for portraying Javed in Slumdog Millionaire. He recently appeared as Pawan Kalra in the TV series Pawan & Pooja.
Rajkummar Rao as Ashok: The Stork's youngest son whose success appeals to Balram. Rajkummar Rao starred as the title character in the 2012 film Shahid and Gavind in Kai Po Che (now streaming on Netflix).
Vijay Maurya as Mukesh aka The Mongoose: The Stork's son. Vijay Maurya portrayed Dawood Ibrahim in Black Friday and Ateeq in Gully Boy (now streaming on Amazon Prime).
Swaroop Sampat as The Great Socialist: A symbolic political figure who says that any person from India can grow up to become the Prime Minister. Swaroop Sampat is well known for her 1984 roles as Suman in Lorie and Renu in the TV series Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi.
Kamlesh Gill as Kusum AKA Granny: A village elder who receives money from Balram. Kamlesh Gill portrayed Daadi in the TV series The Family Man. She has also appeared in Vicky Donor, PK (Now Streaming on Netflix), and Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
Sanket Shanware as Kishan: Balram's brother who takes earnings back to Granny. Vedant Sinha makes his movie debut in The White Tiger. He currently portrays Makhi in College Romance.
Aaron Wan as Premier: A politician who Balram writes to in the opening sequence. Aaron Wan portrayed Anh Dung in the 2019 Netflix film Undercover and Vader Winky in Winky's Horse.
The White Tiger released in January 2021 on Netflix.