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Balram, a young ambitious kid from a remote and dirt poor village finds his way to serving a wealthy family as their driver. He has vision, he has dreams, and he looks to find a way to make himself indispensable to his employers. He is cunning and not always pure, something I liked a lot about this character - he isn't getting ahead simply by being good, sometimes he has to use his wits and make difficult choices, just like in real life. The employer has a son and daughter in law (she is from the United States) who are seemingly more progressive - they are superficially uncomfortable with the class divide and want to treat him more like a member of the family.
One night, while driving the couple to and from their date of drunken fun, the son insists on driving and accidentally hits a child with the car. The family presses Balram to take the fall and say that he was driving when the tragic accident occurs, and for this they promise to compensate him. This is only the beginning of Balram's troubles, and of his path to success. But it's not an easy film to watch. Certainly, there are pieces that are overly simplistic, nonetheless, it's a film I quite enjoyed which I think should get more attention.
Balram's journey is not only from poverty to success, but also from naive to savvy, from innocent to complicated. The character's journey is so engaging and is at the heart of what makes this a truly successful film.
Watch the trailer here.
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