We all know that January, a month already synonymous with the winter blues, is going to be particularly hard next year. With 2021 predicted to start with tier four restrictions in place, it looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time indoors. Thank goodness, then, that there is some excellent TV and film lined up. 

Take Keeley Hawes’ new ITV drama Finding Alice, a dark comedy series that explores the ups and downs of grief. And Netflix’s Pieces of a Woman, a compelling movie about baby loss starring Vanessa Kirby. Then there’s Jenna Coleman’s The Serpent, a slick new BBC drama about an international serial killer. 

And Priyanka Chopra has just given us another reason to look forward to January entertainment, by sharing the full trailer and the release date for her gripping new Netflix film The White Tiger. 

Based on the New York Times bestseller and 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning novel by Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger tells the story of Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav), an ambitious driver of a rich Indian couple (Chopra and Rajkummar Rao) who uses his wit and cunning to escape from poverty and become an entrepreneur.

Chopra’s character is Pinky madam, who she recently described as being: “A first-generation immigrant in the US. She is in India with her husband, who is travelling for business. And then… life changes!”

With just a few weeks to go until the movie’s release, Chopra has shared the trailer on her Instagram, captioning it: “The White Tiger trailer is here! Coming to Netflix Jan 22!” And as you can see, viewers are going to have to strap in for a wild and slightly uncomfortable ride.

“They had their plans and I had plans too,” Balram says after he is forced to confess to a crime he didn’t commit. “I would have to become a creature that can spawn only once every generation…”.  

Ava DuVernay (Selma, When They See Us), who produced The White Tiger, has shared the trailer along with her favourite line from the film. 

“‘When I first saw him, I knew this was the master for me.’ What a line,” she tweeted.

“Proud to be a part of the team to share Ramin Bahrani’s The White Tiger, based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by Aravind Adiga. Roaring onto Netflix globally on January 22.”

Fans have also shared their shared excitement on Twitter. 

“The White Tiger is a terrific book about the Indian caste system told with wit and bombast. Excited to see how it translates to the screen,” wrote one fan.

“OMG I remember reading this book years ago and being absolutely blown away by the brutal honesty in which the author writes about social class and the different rules it affords us. Can’t wait for the movie,” shared another Twitter user.

The White Tiger is released on Netflix on 22 January.

Images: Netflix