I wasn’t upset when I lost because being nominated itself was a big deal for me - Adarsh Gourav

Life has peaked for Adarsh Gourav in a big way post the release of his Netflix film The White Tiger. Directed by Ramin Bahrani, the film also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Rajkummar Rao in crucial roles. Adarsh’s performance as the protagonist Balram Halwai, who fights societal norms to rise from being a lowly driver to being a multimillionaire entrepreneur is spot on. The film offers a critique on how the Indian society is still stuck in the morass of caste and religious divide and states that we need to come out of it pronto if we ever want to become a first world nation. Till then, the only way up for the marginalised is to use whatever comes their way to claw ahead, even if these opportunities are amoral in nature. It’s a powerhouse performance that ranged from him being a submissive mouse to being transformed into a hungry tiger unafraid to use his fangs. It’s no wonder that Adarsh was nominated in the Best Actor category by the British Academy of Films and Television Arts (BAFTA). Though he eventually lost out to Sir Anthony Hopkins (The Father), it was still a proud moment for India that he got nominated. The White Tiger was also nominated at the Oscars in the Best Adapted Screenplay category and Adarsh is excited about that as well. We chat with the actor about the global recognition coming his way and how that’s changing his life and career choices.

You must be over the moon being nominated alongside names like Anthony Hopkins, Chadwick Boseman and Mads Mikkelsen for the BAFTA?
It feels like a dream to be nominated amongst my childhood heroes, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen. It is a dream for any actor and honestly it’s shocking and unexpected too.
I wasn’t upset when I lost because being nominated itself was a big deal for me. I have my whole career ahead of me to get nominated multiple times. This is only the beginning of my journey.

BAFTA was criticised last time for not being too open to diversity in the top categories. According to you, did that change this year? What’s your take on the controversy?
I actually wasn’t aware of that criticism. But I’m glad that there are different actors from different ethnicities being nominated because it is important for people all over the world to know about one another’s cultures and stories. What’s a better way than casting actors from different ethnicities to actually represent their side of the world. It’s a great way for people to get to know one another.


What Your family’s reaction about the BAFTA nominatiuon?
My family has been over the moon since the trailer released. They have been glued to their phones ever since. They share all the articles and the interviews of mine with everybody on the family WhatsApp group. I feel both embarrassed and happy by their behaviour. They are truly proud, also relieved in a way,
I guess.

How did the news of the nomination reach you?
It wasn’t just one person who broke the news. My agents in the US called me up, as did my father. Friends in the media too sent in their messages. Fellow actors started calling in, offering their praise. Then, social media is the big thing today. Everything gets splashed there as soon as it happens. So that surprise factor no longer exists, as the news gets picked up at the speed of light.

Global recognition like The BAFTA and the oscars has put you on the world map in a big way. The expectations from you have increased. Do you feel the pressure?
More than the pressure, what I feel is the spike in excitementI want to continue doing good work and grow as an actor. I want to constantly keep learning new things and keep playing more and more diverse characters. I’m just hoping that the recognition gives me more opportunities to work with the directors I want to and to create work that inspires me. I hope that this happens within India as well as globally.

How did The White Tiger help you evolve as an actor?
The White Tiger really made me realise that the more time I spend on understanding the character the better it is. It’s like any other thing. It’s the universal truth. I had the luxury of four months to understand Balram’s role during which I went on this journey and I feel that’s my biggest lesson. Also, working with director Ramin Bahrani was such a high because it was a unique experience. I’ve never been directed like that before, given that much freedom to understand my character and to improvise. I also feel I’ve become a better listener after working on that film. Apart from that, playing Balram really helped me empathise more with people and understand them better.


You reportedly worked in a tea stall to get your character right?
One thing Ramin told me is to not read Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger and rely on the screenplay to get the job done. Of course, I skimmed through the book in order to understand the character better. Ramin advised me to arrive at my own truth about the character and that’s why I asked one of my friends to take me to his native village in Jharkhand, where I did work for some time at a tea stall in order to understand the
angst of someone like Balram.

Ramin Bahrani is said to have searched for ‘real actors’ to be cast in The White Tiger. How did you fit
into that scheme of things?
That could be better answered by Ramin. I guess what really helped me in understanding Balram was that
I spent my formative years in Jamshedpur, which is closer to the region where Balram actually belonged to. So I had an understanding of those people and their culture. As Ramin mentioned in a lot of his interviews, he wanted to cast a lesser-known actor for the part. I guess both these reasons helped me get the part. He’s always worked with people who almost have had no history in acting and then the kind of performances he extracts out of those people, it’s unbelievable. You feel like you are watching a documentary.

As an Indian actor, you must’ve never imagined your OTT film to take the number one spot
in 64 countries in just four weeks. What was your reaction to it?
It was supposed to be a Netflix global film and it was supposed to release in many countries. But to see our film do so well across the globe is reassuring because it is such a universal story. People from all over the world connected to it. All our hearts are full of gratitude for all the records that it set.