Life has changed dramatically for Adarsh Gourav since his breakout performance in The White Tiger (2021). He has seen it all in the past 13 months — international acclaim, noteworthy projects, and a BAFTA nomination. Now, his gripping act has won him a nomination in the Best Actor (Male): Film category at the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards. As we revisit the film, Gourav describes his character Balram — who, on seeing society’s apathy towards the poor, uses devious means to realise his ambitions — as a survivor. He begins, “Balram’s greed comes out when he realises that life is beyond his control. Everyone around is unforgiving and selfish; they cause him to become what he does. You can’t endorse what he does to get away. I don’t judge him, because do we really judge ourselves? We don’t.”

The actor reveals he never revisited Ramin Bahrani’s directorial venture after its release. “I don’t like watching my movies. I watched it a few times to know what went right and what went wrong. But beyond that, it feels narcissistic.