Likely few filmmakers have been in the position of adapting a novel that is in fact dedicated to them. Yet this is exactly the situation Ramin Bahrani found himself in when he tackled "The White Tiger."
Bahrani and author Aravind Adiga had been friends since both attended Columbia University in the 1990s. Bahrani went on to direct a series of emotionally detailed, deeply humanist films including "Man Push Cart," "Goodbye Solo" and "99 Homes." His adaptation of "Fahrenheit 451" for HBO earned five Emmy nominations and won a Producers Guild of America award.
Adiga's debut novel, "The White Tiger" was published in 2008 and won the prestigious Man Booker Prize. Bahrani, who also now teaches film production at Columbia, was nominated for both a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award and an Oscar for his screenplay adaptation of the book.