Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

White Tiger 

This is a fantastic film that has excellent performances that will keep you engaged the entire time. Now I have seen my fair share of Bollywood films which I really have liked. The film premises really grips you and grabs ahold of your attention and never lets go as the moment it starts from the well done editing and at times breathtaking cinematography the film draws you into the story at hand. its style of telling its story and execution of it really reminded me of Scarface as that film is a rags to Riches story and so is this. As it shows this character from his humble beginnings to his very shady life that leads him to get to where he wants to be. 

Firstly, The way this film is told is so well structured. It was able to tell the life story of the main character In a way narratively that didn’t feel like it was to crammed with too much it was able to show his upbringing and his rise in the family he serves in such a smooth way. It never felt that it bit off more than it chew and to be honest it is probably one of the best structured single character films showing the rising and of the character that traces all the way from the beginning to the current moment you meet him at the end of the film. It’s brilliantly done to keep you engaged with its amazing story and fantastically stylized editing. There was never a moment I was disengaged with the story I will say though my only problem with the film was a bit of pacing. The film is around two hours and ten minutes and now their are moments where you do feel the runtime but I wouldn’t take anything out it’s just at times you do feel the film slow down in parts where it shouldn’t that’s the only problem I’d say I had with the film. 

Secondly, the performances from its cast is terrific! Adarsh Gourav gives an outstanding leading performance in this film that is both unapologetically happy and optimistic but has this sinister darkness that looms in his heart that you can see cracks of through the second act of the film but becomes fully evolved by the third act. And he brings such a incredible amount of depth emotionally to the character that is so gripping to see unfold onscreen. Another great performance is by Rajkummar Rao who at first glance seems like this sweet young rich prodigy in the family but you see him evolve more and more into this emotionally manipulative person that seems to have good intentions but could care less about the person working for him. Rajkummar brings this charming quality that makes him so intriguing while showing so many sides of him that you can’t look away from and that’s emotionally sincere. Everyone in this film is great but it’s the performances from Adarsh and Rajkummar who steal the show with these captivating performances that is impossible to look away from. 

Lastly, White Tiger is a outstanding film that’s strengths come from its amazing performances, well structured storytelling and amazingly executed editing that grabs your attention and never let’s go until the final frame this film has a tone that is like scarface mixed with parasite. Even though it feels similar to those films it never leans on them in order to tell its story and overall White Tiger is an extraordinary film that I recommend everyone go check out. 

When a boy from a poor family has dreams of being a successful businessman he does whatever he has to do to get it 

Rated R : language throughout and bloody images 

Adarsh Gourav : Adarsh gives a truly captivating performance that is both emotionally sincere in kindness but has a bubbling eeriness of darkness within his heart and eyes. Gourav has an amazing arc for his character as we see him from his humbling beginnings to his current riches by the end of the film. What I love about how they brought his arc stretch from the beginning of his life to where he is by the end is the fact he is a fully realized person by the time you get to the end. As every side of him we see over the course of the two hour runtime. Adarsh gives this really complex performance of a person with many shifting emotional aspects to him that result in very engaging moments. He in the first half comes off as this pure happy soul that just wants a successful career but halfway through the film when he gets to where he wants to be. He finds himself at crossroads morally that makes him take a very dark road emotionally. He evolves into something that is morally corrupt and will do whatever it takes to get to the top. He sells his soul for success which plays like a greek tragedy in many ways and Gourav brings the emotional depth required to show the layers shaded for this character as when he is at his most joyful its so pure and happy and then when he is thinking of bad things to do you can see in his eyes what exactly he is thinking without him having to say a word. He can express so much by saying so little. He also will deliver his dialogue in such a way that is very honest if it’s in a happy or desperate way when he speaks you feel the sincerity in his tone and you feel every word he puts down onscreen. It is  a performance that shows such deep rooted emotion that lights up each scene with such raw charismatic emotion that is gripping and also terrifying at the same time Adarsh Gourav gives a truly outstanding performance that will blow you away. 

Ramin Bahrani : Ramin brings incredible direction to this film and keeps you engaged the whole way! This filmmaker got my attention in 2015 when he did the hugely overlooked 99 homes that should have got more attention than it got. He brought such a great approach to the story on this project as yes he starts the film from the literal humble beginnings to his rich lifestyle by the end and we see everything that happens from the start to the end and it shows everything about his life without it ever feeling rushed or overlong. He was able to show this complex character and his family life and business life and fill in each crack of what the character is and was about in every sense of the word. So by the end of the film you the audience feel that you know him fully and understand his motives and his drive to every extent which I love. And then also show the darkness that lurks in his heart and it was able to walk this fine line between a drama and crime as well without it ever feeling uneven in tone. He also explores the depths of all the people around him and the impact he makes on them in such a way that is both entertaining and nail biting. As their is this constant tension that is felt through the course of the film that never lets go and is so well presented in its execution. Its ability to be dramatic and then dive into this element of crime and darkness was genius as it never tried to hard it just effortlessly went in that direction. Ramin explores the human conditions of the heart and how far people are willing to go for their success and careers and is shown at times in very brutally honest ways. In a way that you will be unable to look away from Ramin gives truly tremendous direction and gets fantastic performances from his cast while telling this incredibly entertaining story at the centre of it.