Producer Mukul Deora and Executive Producers Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Ava DuVernay join the show to discuss their unique roles in ushering “The White Tiger” from page to screen and championing the film. They talk about their passion for the book, why they felt Ramin Bahrani was the ideal filmmaker for the project, the importance of authenticity, the global appeal of the story, and the timeliness of its themes. They also share what they hope audiences might be thinking about after watching the film.

In this episode, Adarsh Gourav, RajKummar Rao, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas join the series to discuss how they came to the film, what they most wanted to capture about their characters, and the challenges that were unique to their roles. They also talk about their research and preparation, their experience working together, and the spirit of exploration that writer-director Ramin Bahrani encouraged on set. And they reflect on the story’s powerful themes and global appeal.

In Part Two of Stephanie Mehta’s interview with Ramin Bahrani, they discuss his journey as a filmmaker and some of the ideas and themes that have been central to his storytelling. He talks about his interest in characters and worlds not typically seen in films and exploring the feeling of not belonging. He discusses the writers and filmmakers who have influenced him, and how going to Iran as an adult had a profound effect on him as a person and filmmaker. Bahrani also shares what first drew him to the world of storytelling, the part of the creative process that makes him feel vulnerable, the importance of talking about mistakes, and why he feels blessed to have one eye that sees Iranian and one eye that sees American.

In this inaugural episode of “The White Tiger” podcast, writer-director Ramin Bahrani joins host Stephanie Mehta, Editor-in-chief at Fast Company, to discuss the journey of the film. He talks about his longtime friendship with Aravind Ardiga, the author of the novel on which the film is based, and how he was first approached to make the film. He discusses key creative decisions, including maintaining the tone of the book and its time period, and the visual language of the film. Bahrani also reflects on the film’s central metaphor of the rooster coop, and the story’s powerful global appeal.