Exploring the dilemmas of identity in modern Indian society in the context of globalisation taking The White Tiger as an example

Abstract

The Indian realist drama film The White Tiger (2021) tells the story of Balram, a man from a poor Indian village who uses his wits and cunning to escape poverty through a self-referential narrative involving poverty, calculation and violence, exposing the problems of modern Indian society and the individual's loss of self-identity in the pursuit of freedom. This essay will examine The White Tiger through the theoretical framework of globalisation. Through a review of the development of globalisation in modern Indian society and an analysis of the metaphors of ‘the rooster coop’, ‘the white tiger’ and ‘half-baked’ in the film, it will further critically analyse the dilemma of identity in modern Indian society and attempt to expose the problems India faces in the process of decolonisation, globalisation and modernisation through this film.