Netflix’s The White Tiger starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gourav in the lead has become the number one film in 35 countries. Adapted from Aravind Adiga’s Man-Booker prize winning novel of the same name, the film is directed by Ramin Bahrani and produced by Mukul Deora and Priyanka.
Accolades and critical acclaim has been pouring in for the lead star cast, especially for Adarsh who plays Balram Halwai and the main protagonist in the film. PeepingMoon.com caught up with Adarsh in an exclusive interview where he spoke about lessons learned from Priyanka and Rajkummar and the critical acclaim coming his way.
Excerpts from the interview:
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Tell us something about your Bollywood journey, how did you land the leading role in The White Tiger?
I have been acting now for 13 years and auditioning for roles for 12 years and have worked in films, web series and advertisements. How I landed this role is that I got a call from the casting office and I went for the audition, not expecting much; knowing the story as I had read the book when I was 13 and yeah, I auditioned and then I was called for another audition, that turned into six rounds and by the end of one month Ramin Bahrani went back to New York and he then told me that they want to cast me as Balram Halwai in The White Tiger.
Before taking up the role of Balram Halwai did you read Aravind Adiga’s book or did you go just by the script?
I read the book when I was 13 or 14 and it truly entertained and engaged me but I did not read the book before the film. I asked Ramin whether I should re-read but he said to find my own character and interpretation. He told me to find my own version of Balram and the entire process of how he is sketched. I did go to a village in Jharkhand, stayed there for a couple of weeks and thereafter I went to Delhi and worked at a food stall for a couple of weeks and then I used to roam on the streets of Delhi as Balram. Somewhere in the month of September, we started reading the script and going to audition for other characters and try doing the same scene in different ways and that’s how I found the character of Balram.
How does it feel to score a nomination in Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead in your very first full-fledged movie?
I feel incredible; feel very fortunate that I get to be a part of the film directed by Ramin. A film that the entire world can watch sitting in their home, and these people are my inspiration like Chadwick Boseman and seeing your name alongside them, I don’t think words can do justice to how I feel. There are no words to articulate my emotions but it’s amazing.
How was it sharing screen space with Priyanka and Rajkummar?
They are both very-very incredible actors, they love to improvise. They are so hungry to perform and outdo themselves every time they come on sets. It’s so heartwarming to know them as persons, we are all fans of them as actors but when you get to know them as people and see how humble and modest they are even after achieving humongous amount of success, it’s very-very humbling for me as an actor, for someone like me who is just starting out. I feel humbled to have worked with them and I am so glad that they accepted me and that they support me. I feel extremely lucky.
Did you employ a different process to play the role of Balram other than the usual workshops?
As I said, I stayed at a village and worked at a food stall. But it’s really something that I believe in doing with all my projects. Even for Mom and Rukh I did my prep but with The White Tiger I had more time on my hands and most fun to prepare.
How was it working with Ramin Bahrani?
Working with Ramin was brilliant. He gave us the time and space to explore our characters and had the generosity to tell us to find our own voices and come up with our own understanding of the characters. He would never say action or cut on the set, he would say ‘whenever you are ready’ and made the process very organic. Acting did not feel as if we are putting on a mask but felt like a state of being.
There are comparisons with Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and Bong Jon-Ho’s Parasite since all three films are on class divide but The White Tiger goes beyond as the worm takes the bull by his horns and overthrows the servitude. What do you have to say to that?
The stories are about the working class and the underdogs and set in Asian countries but apart from that there are lots of differences. Every director has his own vision of how they want to pursue the story and those are the only similarities with the desire to change your destiny as the crux, but they are all different films.
Dev Patel is our most famous actor with Indian roots who is doing great in Hollywood. Are you planning to focus on Hollywood more now that you’ve got such a big opening with The White Tiger?
No I don’t think I want to limit myself. I want to focus on everything. I don’t want a career only in the West, I want a career in India not just in Hindi films but even in regional cinema and want to work with directors from abroad. So I am equipping myself and doing things that would help me convert whatever opportunities I get. I am practicing my American accent for the last one year. From my father I am learning Tamil and tend to learn Malayalam next, I am doing everything that I can to get into a lot of things and don’t want language to be a barrier in the kind of stories I want to tell and be a part of.
Has it been a long struggle for you as an outsider to get a place in the sun and were you disappointed that My Name Is Khan did not fetch you the recognition that playing a ‘young Shah Rukh Khan’ should have?
I don’t think it was a struggle. It took a lot of patience and you are patient about the things that you love and this is what I love and am passionate about. It took some time but I’ve always enjoyed playing characters, telling stories. Sometimes the validation took time but I was lucky to have started at a young age and have such supportive parents who did not let me lose heart.
What kind of role you are dying to do? Is there any specific genre which you would like to sink your teeth into?
There is no such specific genre but I love crime dramas, gangster dramas.
Would you be keen to take up a web series or a film franchise where you might have to reprise your roles or you would like to do stand-alone films?
Why not? There is so much space to explore your character. I have not thought like that but I would love to do a series or a franchise if the quality is good.
You have been extremely lucky to share screen space with Manoj Bajpayee in Rukh and Sridevi in Mom. Could you share your experience about working with them?
They were both fantastic and incredible achievers in their own right. With Sri Ma’am it was more my father, he not only watched her every film but constantly spoke about her ever since I was a child. When I was shooting for Mom he was so happy, he was so excited and I remember my first scene was with Sridevi where I cross her in a corridor and say, ‘Good morning Maam’ and Ravi Sir my director came up to me and told me, "Sri Ma’am asked me ‘who is this boy’?” and I was like ‘wow’. He told me ‘that means a lot, it’s a big deal’ and I was like ‘Of course, it means a lot, it is a big deal’. I went up to her and said ‘Hi’ and told her that I speak Telugu and we used to speak in the language. I wish she was around and I wish we could do more films together.
With Manoj Sir also it was incredible. Bhiku Mhatre was one of the characters had a profound effect on me when I saw the film as a child. I used to love Bhiku Mhatre and try to dress up like him. When I met him I told him this. We had very few scenes together but whatever time we had we used to speak about his process, and his journey and his roots. I hope I get a chance to catch up with him again soon.
Is there any dream role that you would have loved to take up? Or a filmmaker that you are yearning to work with?
I am yearning to work with so many filmmakers but Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap, Abhishek Choubey, Vishal Bhardwaj are some of the directors I hope I get to audition and work for. No dream role as such. I think a great filmmaker can make a simple story look amazing on screen.
Can you tell us any lesson about acting and films that you’ve taken from Rajkummar and Priyanka?
I just learned to be passionate for my work even after doing it for so many years, keep the fire alive and still have that dedication towards your craft despite achieving so much success. Just be on your toes all the time, remind yourself to do better.
The White Tiger is rumoured to be in the reckoning for the Oscars 2021 including a Best Actor nomination for you. What do you have to say about that?
Well, what do I say? It’s so far away; if it happens then it happens. I don’t really think about these things, there are so many other things to focus on. To think about especially if you get nominated for an Oscar; looks like a very far off reality.
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