The White Tiger and Slumdog Millionaire.....

This blog is a part of thinking activity given by my Prof. Dilip Barad similarities between The White Tiger and the film Slumdog Millionaire. The film is adaptation of the novel 'Q&A', written by Vikas Swarup.

Brief information about Slumdog Millionaire.

With ref to screening of select scenes of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire in today's class:

Write a blog on similarities between The White Tiger and Slumdog Millionaire. Include following points:

1. Narrative structure - Wanted Poster # KBC show

2. Indianness

3. List of questions asked in the film. If you have to replace or add a few questions, which questions would you like to add. Remember, questions shall be in-tune with the screenplay of the film .

4. On what grounds can u deconstruct the film with reference to post colonial tools / theories.

5. Compare with Texture and Treatment of subject content in film and novel.

 PROFESSION OF BOTH THE PROTAGONISTS

Balram and his brother Kishan begin working in a teashop in nearby Dhanbad, Balram neglects his duties and spends his days listening to customer's conversations. 

Jamal  works at a call centre, serving tea to the telephone operators

Balram Halwai

Balram is an Indian man from an impoverished background, born in the village of Laxmangarh. 

Balram Halwai is a poor Indian villager whose great ambition dead him to the highpoint of Indian business culture, the world of the Bangalore industrialist 

One of the most important facts the school inspect named him "The White Tiger" "The rarest animal -? In the jungle . because he is the cleverest child in Laxmangarh."

Jamal Malik

Uneducated grew up in the slums of Mumbai where children are forced to work at an early age. Even if there are opportunities, children have to make a living instead of going to school.

Ambitious he takes risks that others would never take to achieve his goals.  He introduces himself as a cook so that he can enter Javed's house which is another big risk.

They're both Indian works, based in India and about India. 

The other thing is both their storylines are about underdog characters from miserable backgrounds and childhoods rising in an unlikely manner to achieve success in life.

The main thing is that both feature an India in which injustice, suffering and poverty are significant and abundant in society.

The main plot focus between the two differs markedly in that with White Tiger, the portrayal of social problems is main theme while Slumdog has a romantic element as its central part of its storyline with poverty and crime as significant but accompanying. 

They both are the victims of the poor societal system in India; Jamal being tortured and Balram being treated like a slave in the family he works for.

In The White Balram dreamt all his life of becoming something successful and making something of himself. Jamal, on the other hand, lived his life focusing on finding the love of his life -Latika. He applied to be on the show be cause he was hoping that Latika would be watching him in the show-not to win the money. 

One clear similarity is that the both main characters come from extreme poor conditions. Balram Halwai grows up in poor family with a low caste in a small town in India and Jamal becomes homeless at a very young age and starts to live on the streets in the slum.

PROFESSION OF BOTH THE PROTAGONISTS

Balram and his brother Kishan begin working in a teashop in nearby Dhanbad, Balram neglects his duties and spends his days listening to customer's conversations. 

Jamal  works at a call centre, serving tea to the telephone operators.

The White Tiger is the debut novel by Indian author Aravind Adiga. It was first published in 2008 and won the 40th Man Booker Prize in the same year.The novel provides a darkly humorous perspective of India's class struggle in a globalized world as told through a retrospective narration from Balram Halwai, a village boy. In detailing Balram's journey first to Delhi, where he works as a chauffeur to a rich landlord, and then to Bangalore, the place to which he flees after killing his master and stealing his money, the novel examines issues of religion, caste, loyalty, corruption and poverty in India Ultimately, Balram transcends his sweet-maker caste and becomes a successful entrepreneur, establishing his own taxi service. In a nation proudly shedding a history of poverty and underdevelopment, he represents, as he himself says, "tomorrow."

 Narrative structure:-The narrative structure in both ,novel and film is  similar but device is different.  .In both the things flashback technique is used, in novel protagonist wrote a letters whereas in the movie there is remembrance of Q show.Same as in movie Jamal have questions on screen in KBC show and for the for the answer he is going to his past. In the film the first scene starts from police station and in novel police are searching for Balram.Both the story goes on similar way. Balram and Jamal both are shown as Chaiwala. He narrate the condition that hoe police make mistakes to writing about him. So in both, the situation is working parallel and flashback system is same.Through the flashback technique characters recalls the deeds of past. 

# Indianness:-

In both narration there is a satire on India , that no basic necessities even fulfilled like , water , electricity , public transportation , discipline or punctuality. Cricket , voting patterns , intuition all reflects Indianness.

Family structure : In both film and novel narration of family life. Balram ' s father and grandmother , cousins all binds him. He have to sacrifice his study for family support. But he breaks the tradition and get freedom by  loss of family. Jmal ' s brother slim also departed from him have choose bad  way to survive.

Railway station : train and station narration in both reflects indianness. Balram ' s wanted poster and run away after crime all at the station. Jmal 's quest , love and ending all at the station . Thus station reflects indianness.

Two brothers : two brothers lost and found is archytype also reflects Indianness in both narration. Slim ' s departure and meeting shows that thing.

Police system : In The White Tiger Balram bribes police and start New business . In Slumdog millionaire also police is corrupted. Thus it reflects Indianness.

Education : Balram and Jmal both were uneducated but still have intelligence and talent to understand the world. They have enough knowledge how  to survive in world.

# List of the questions asked in the film 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Most of the questions are related to his past like he was big fan of Amitabh Bachchan and he was asked about his famous movie Zanzeer, so he was definitely known about that film. As it is he was not learnt from the school but from the life. All twists and turns are helpful to him in every question.

1. Who was the star in the 1973 hit film "Zanzeer"
   a) Shah Rukh Khan
   b) Salman Khan
   c) Amitabh Bachhan
   d) Ranbir Kapoor
Ans. Amitabh Bachchan

2. A picture of three lions is seen in the national emblem of India. What is written underneath it?
    a) The Truth alone triumphs
    b) Lies alone triumphs
    c) Fashion alone triumphs
    d) Money alone triumphs
Ans. The Truth alone triumphs

3. In depiction of God Rama, he is famously holding what in his right hand?
    a) A bow and arrow
    b) A sword
    c) A child
    d) A flower
Ans.  A bow and arrow

The answer of this question is related to his past. The Gothra kand was much live there, he lost his mother. The conflict between Hindu and Muslim is much related with the remembrance of this answer.

4. The song " Darshan Do Ghanshyam" was written by which famous Indian poet?
    a) Surdas
    b) Tulsidas
    c) Mira bai
    d) Kabir

Ans. Surdas

5. On the American One Hundred Dollar Bill, there is portrait of which American Statesman?
    a) George Washington
    b) Franklin Roosevelt
    c) Benjamin Franklin
    d) Abraham Lincoln

Ans. Benjamin Franklin

6. Who invented the revolver?
    a) Samuel Colt
    b) Bruce Browning
    c) Dan Wesson
    d) James Revolver

Ans. Samuel Colt

7. Cambridge Circus is in which UK City?
    a) Oxford
    b) Leeds
    c) Cambridge
    d) London

Ans. London

8. Which cricketer has scored the most first class centuries in history?
    a) Sachin Tendulkar
    b) Ricky Ponting
    c) Michael Slater
    d) Jack Hobbs

Ans. Jack Hobbs

9. In Alexander Dumas' book, "The Three Musketeers", two of the musketeers are called Athos and Porthos. What was the name of the third Musketeer?
    a) Aramis
    b) Cardinal Richetieu
    c) D' Artagnan
    d) Planchet

Ans. Aramis

# Deconstruction of film from post colonial perspective.

In narration of  the novel we find they treated Indian as very inferior people comparing to them. By showing slim as bad boy , and as chitter with them , then  good reaction of  Americans towards them. That shows their mentality towards India. They visited Indian place it also part of it. By portraying Indian as poor and corrupted they make themselves superior.

#Compare with Texture and treatment of subject content in film and novel.
Texture in both narration is about India as corrupt and poor country. Villages , landlords , education all represents the darkness of  India. Slum area and poverty is also reflects it. Rich heritage and spirituality , family / orphans all are texture of both . Both have own ways to achieve goals by good or bad things . So treatment is light , humorous and sometimes comic and dark.