3 lessons from the movie ‘The White Tiger’

Poverty, inequality, caste system and corruption – these were some burning questions addressed in the newly released movie "The White Tiger". The little more than two hours long movie wakes us up from an everlasting fairy-tale nap and slaps us with the grim reality of the actual world.  Let's take a look at the three life lessons we can learn from this well-crafted movie that was until recently streaming as No 1 on Netflix.

Caution: Every line you read after this will contain spoilers. You have been warned!

Do not take your blessings for granted: Most of us, reading this article, have been lucky enough to be born in a family with a stable income. We eat what we want, go out with our friends where we want and have access to the best education our country has to offer. But, are we satisfied?

Obviously not! We are frustrated because we cannot spend our vacation in the Maldives like our favourite Hollywood stars or we cannot buy those overly priced branded clothes.  While you are crying over that overpriced Yeezy shoe, 13 million children in the USA alone are crying for food.

We can get a glimpse of this reality from the life of Balram. Even after being extremely intelligent, he was forced to leave education at a young age to pay the debts of his father. He lost his father to tuberculosis because they did not have enough money to treat him.

He was forced to take the blame of a murder he never committed only because he was poor and a mere servant. So, it is high time we start counting our blessings and for once be happy with our luck. 

Find the right opportunities and utilise them smartly: Let's get it straight. Nobody is going to serve you new opportunities on a silver platter. You and only you are responsible for yourself. So, it is your responsibility to look for opportunities, recognise them, and use those wisely if you want to go ahead in life.

Balram's grandmother (who I happily detested) wanted him to continue working in the tea stall. But he didn't want the same fate as his older brother. So, he convinced his grandmother, borrowed money from her, learnt driving and then convinced the rich landlords to hire him as the second driver.

Even after getting hired, he used his cunning skills to kick out the main driver and take his job. Though I will not advise in pulling any cunning tricks like Balram, we can definitely learn the lesson of taking our luck in our own hands from this guy.

Take responsibility for your mistakes: The wife of Balram's boss was drunk when she was driving a car and accidentally killed a child on the road. And who got the blame for the accident? The poor driver of course!

This blame ultimately led Balram to kill his own boss and flee to Bangalore. But, when Balram's own employee caused an accident and killed a passer-by, he took the responsibility for the accident and took care of that family. This shows us what a true leader actually looks like. If an employee makes a mistake, it is the leader and the entire team's liability. The leader is responsible to accept that mistake and rectify it. 

Balram was not meant to be those rags to riches hero. His actions became more and more morally questionable with every scene, ultimately leading to the murder. But, we can barely blame him. He was a victim in the hands of cruel fate and the so-called upper-class people of our beloved society. 

What are your thoughts on this overly complex character and the price he had to pay for success?