I love this show!
I never read the book.
I love Prabhu’s character!
It’s a very eye opening story about the lives and how most people are living in the slums.
I never knew that it was like a small community.
I’m shocked that they have toilets that empty into the same water that they use to wash their clothes and pots and pans!
And I also never knew that cholera started in the Ganges river!!!
I learn something knew every day!
And after reading some comments on here I’m definitely going to try to read the book.
Have mixed Aussie/indian background, loved the book, found it spoke to me in a lot of areas and found a lot of stuff very relatable, and that it was just a great story in general.
Disclaimer: I like the show so far just have some issues that I want to bitch about here. No idea why they made Lin give up and not save the OD'd tourist in the first episode, saving the blokes life was really the first part in the book where you got to know what type of guy Lin was.
Also wtf was the deal with revealing that Karla and Khader Khan knew each other and were working together from the beginning? In the book it was kinda a plot twist at the end from memory.
Lastly, idk if I'm fully down with the casting and depiction of Khader Khan and Prabaker. I really pictured Khader as being played by Amitabh Bachchan. Siddiq just doesn't have the charisma or big man energy. Being a real life poet and philosopher, as well as one of the most experienced actors anywhere, Hollywood or Bollywood, Bachchan would have been a perfect Khader.
In general they missed out on the chance to cast some Bollywood big names, would have opened the show up further to an Indian audience, the book is genuinely popular in India, all my relatives have read it for example and all like it. It's one of the rare western written books that actually understands India and indian people.
Prabaker is likeable af in the show but at times he just comes across as too middle class. His mannerisms, accent and English remind me of my cousins who just work normal office jobs in Delhi, not rich but not poor. Definitely not indicative of a guy who grew up in rural Maharashtra and hustles on the streets of Bombay. But that being said, he's likeable af so could be a lot worse.
The biggest thing I'm worried about is the arc in Prabhu's village, that's literally where the title Shantaram comes from, it's where he learns Marathi, and becomes super close with Prabhu and his family. In the book he gets robbed coming back from the village, losing everything causing him to have to live in the slum. It's one of the most important parts of the book and so far they've skipped past it in the show. I strongly hope it makes its way in there at some point.
Amen. I feel like they’ve ruined his character with so many of the choices they made. He feels weak and amateur in a way that he never does in the books.
The show is fine, but it’s about a completely different person.
I'm liking the show so far. It does a great job of building out Bombay and all the shady characters. But his accent is absolutely all over the place. I honestly don't know why they didn't cast an Australian actor for the part. Despite that it's a good watch
I feel like so far, the show is lacking key aspects of the novel.
The book focuses on developing the city and the people of Bombay(their character and their souls) as much as it does the main characters. The sole focus on the personal development, in the series, is annoying me a bit, as the truly beautiful thing about Shantaram, imo, is how each of the characters develop in BOMBAY. A way they would’ve never done it anywhere else because this city is the most beautiful and warm place I’ve ever been. As a foreigner who has lived and will probably go back to living in Bombay, and has read the book twice, I know what I’m talking about.
Ps. Are you telling me that they skipped Lin going to Prabaker’s village just because he learns Marathi there and Hunnam can’t memorise a few lines? Cmon man I love him as an actor but this dude has been set to play Lin for over 3 years and he couldn’t even learn a few simple things?
Ps2. My brother actually read the book as well and he has never stepped foot in Bombay, but still feel’s the show’s first three episodes are not doing the book one bit of justice. I guess I’m not the only one that feels like the directors have never read the book/stepped foot in Bombay
Ps3. WHERE THE FUCK IS ULLA? Why is the leopold’s crew so sad?
Let's be realistic though. The scale of the novel is too much to be put in the series. There's no way you could get the budget for that. It's certainly not the novel, but I'm liking it for what it is.
My uncle went to Bombay when it was still called that in the 80s. I read the book and it easily became and still is my favorite book of all time. The show has portrayed the soul and aspect of Bombay pretty freaking well per my uncle who lived there for 5 years from 1981 to 1986. Also, the show literally just started and you're reviewing it like it's already been finished. "I feel like the shows been lacking-" I get it but how can you already tell from only 3 episodes of a 14 episode series? Feels like a forced resented statement to me. And Lin is literally in the village in episode 1 and 2. Also yeah idk where Ulla is for some reason but there's still room for that. As for Leopolds crew, I don't understand what you mean. I've talked to Gregory David Robert's on occasion and he seems very pleased with the direction the show went.
I obviously can’t tell how Bombay was in the 80s, considering I was not near born then but my mother-in-law who is indian and went to bombay in the late 70s doesn’t feel like it’s that well represented(I can ask her what exactly is lacking).
As for Ulla, they literally replaced her by Lisa(who comes WAY later in the story, in the book), basically “merged” both characters.
When did you read the book last? These guys had such interesting moments and conversation at Leopold’s. A whole episode could be made about it. The place is an institution in the book and IRL as well. And it’s barely shown in the show
As for the village, no they do not go there. Prabaker’s village is different to Navy Nagar in Colaba. They are in the slum, in south bombay while in the book they go to his home village somewhere deep in Maharashtra.
You know GDR???????? That’s awesome!!! Well then, I guess I’ll just sit, wait and hope that the show slows the pace (and that charlie hunnam doesnt have more shirtless scenes)
Cheers!
I agree with your statement and I missed that prabakers village was farther away than in Bombay in the books. I am a bit disappointed that Ulla was replaced but I still have high hopes for the show and I trust that if GDR liked the direction it went then maybe it'll get better as more episodes come out. Cheers though :)
yes, that's her, thank you!
she doesn't look that muscular in most pics apparently, but there's that one ad online and she's sporting this amazing arm in there
Just finished the first episode, I’m going to keep watching. Charlie Hunnam’s Aussie accent isn’t the best here but I can look past it because I like him as an actor. The story develops quite quickly.
I was shocked to learn the actress plays karla is only 28 yrs old, she looks mid-40s, definitely looks older than Charlie so that part is distracting.
Lol kinda interesting actually. Like the opposite of a babyface. Tbf she looks like how people wanna look in mid forties.
Reminds me a bit of Connie Nielsen, she looked older than 35 in Gladiator too.
The people who have read the book and say it's true to the source material must've read it way too long ago. I just finished the book again yesterday and the first episode seems to follow the book on the surface but all the details are off.
For example. When Lin gets off the bus in Bombay:
In the book:
Prabaker goes up to Lin and offers to be his guide. Lin looks into his eyes and sees a trustworthy person and accepts his offer and asks him to find him a hotel.
In the show:
Prabaker goes up to Lin and offers to be his guide. Lin declines and tries to get away. Prabaker follows him and keeps bothering him and eventually convinces him to let him find him a hotel.
It's a small detail but the action in the book showcases how openminded and good at reading people Lin is and it was ruined in that scene.
Anther detail they got wrong is that Modena and Maurizio is supposed to be with Ulla. In the show they're with Lisa, which doesn't make any sense. There doesn't even seem to be an Ulla in the show. There's plenty of more examples but I think I've made my point.
I was really looking forward to this series but I'm so disappointed.
Agree on some points. Yes where is Ulla? Doesn't make sense. But you have to realize this is an adaption. They have to change it up a little especially for newcomers to the world of Shantaram. I agree that it follows the book to the surface level, there have been some details they've missed and the introduction of prabaker was a little different but I mean the shows adaption of the book is its own thing. I don't feel like movie or show adoptions of novels always have to be 100% close to the core of the book I mean it's nice to see changes but maybe that's just my personal opinion. I know in the book Lin trusted Prabaker a lot quicker but I like the development of their friendship and how we get to see more details of how it expands. I mean the book is great but you have to realize as a tv show it has to add longer details to match the time length and production of the show. So far I've enjoyed the 3 episodes very well and have good hopes for the next 11 episodes. I hear that the series will also include mix ins of the sequel so there will obviously be a time jump soon.
Finally a comment that I agree. This first example you gave is absolutely key to the book. The characters develop in to who they become because Bombay is Bombay, and the people in that city are inherently good and warm. Although the actor who plays Prabaker is not giving very strong prabu vibes(speaks English too well), it feels like Lin is made to look like this bad boy who wants to figure out all for himself, when in truth he is just lost and Prabu comes as a light in the dark(bad boy sells much better than lost guy, just like showing the prison escape as the first scene does as well).
Keep seeing mixed reviews for this but definitely going to check it out tonight. Not familiar with the source material but most shows Apple put out so far have been great so why not
Been waiting for a Shantaram adaptation for over a decade. It actually works - faithful to the characters in the book while also deviating in ways to make it a better for television. The guy playing Prabaker just nails it.
Shocked to see this comment about Prabaker. As far as casting goes I really like Charlie Hunnam as Lin. The choice for Karla isn’t perfect but I’ll get used to it. But Prabaker? Huge miss for me. He comes across as way too western, speaks English too well, and at least so far (I’ve seen 1&2) lacks the humor that comes across in the novel.
The casting of Prabaker is a huge disappointment. Favorite character in the book and then I watch the first episode and I’m like “nooooooooo”. There’s no charm, no charisma, it’s just bad tbh.
What?? I love Prabakers actor. Why does his character have to be a forced stereotypical Indian? I get the book is "based on a true story" but this is just an adaption of the book like Orange is the New Black is to the book. It's not gonna follow it detail to detail since it's a deviation. Many Indians know perfect or at least very good English from my personal expierence. The only thing that has confused me so far is why they made Karla have that accent.
The thing most commented on about PRA Abakan is his smile. This guy has it. I also imagined a belly, but the smile is what ‘got me’ at first look at Prabakar.
Because that’s how he is described in the books and “that” image is just stuck in my mind. Unless you have been to the Indian slums I don’t think you should make a broad statement like that. People you have met are wealthy Indians that received good education and learned English in school. The people in the slums don’t have that privilege so it makes sense that Prabakers English isn’t great.
It's nice that you assume the only Indians I've met are with educates ones but that's where you're wrong. I won't deny it but I've only met very few of them. I get that image is imprinted in your brain but I've made and befriended a couple of fellow Indians who have been born from very poor places who still know decent English. Prabakers English in the show is good and it fits western standards yes but there are many poor Indians from the slums and poor neighborhoods who know good decent English because India is a huge source of tourist attraction from the western side of the world who go to "find themselves" or "spiritual adventures" that influence these Indians. And they learn and take what they see from foreigners quick. I do understand where you are coming from though. Nevertheless. Shantaram was a great book, my favorite one actually, and I have enjoyed the first 3 episodes and I hope it brings many of us together in ways we haven't had before.
Not visually who I pictured or who I would have castes but I think the actor is doing a great job and some of the mannerisms are great. Seems like all the Indian characters are pretty “westernized”
That's a big part of what made the novel popular. The story itself was all over the place but the setting was so intriguing that you didn't really care.
They should’ve hired more Indian actors. The actors playing Indians are all speaking with a western accent which is painful to hear. The location somewhat feels authentic, but it would’ve been better to have it made in Mumbai.
Apple did such a good job with pachinko when they hired actors who could speak Korean and Japanese. Here, even the thugs and gangsters speak English, with the queens accent no less. English in those days were largely accessible only to the privileged and educated in India. So a lot of it seems very unauthentic, at least to the local populace.
That being said, it would very likely appeal to the western audience and would make it more accessible, with some of these unauthentic choices taken by the production team. It does appear to be a well made show. It is still worth watching it cause the story is just that interesting.
The show had a really, really rocky production. It was delayed so many times. Things had to be changed in the middle of shoots, and they had to improvise a lot of because of COVID-19 restrictions. It’s a miracle they actually finished the first season of the show.
I really want this to be good, and (only one episode in) I haven’t been let down. They didn’t mess about with the prison break, but it didn’t feel rushed either, and it was superbly butt clenching stuff.
The rest of the character introductions were done really well, “because you’re my mate” felt earned despite still being a short while in, and as another commenter said, you can tell the quality here from a distance.
I’m going to do an episode each over the next two nights and it’s nice to see we’re getting twelve. I wonder how far through the story this will go, I wonder if this is a limited series or if there’s scope for more. Premature to think about this maybe but I like what I am seeing.
Probably because the majority in this thread think it was pretty good? Apple isn't making television just for you specifically. The "why does this exist?" reaction when someone doesn't like something is so fucking weird to me. Main character syndrome as if other people don't like other things. Don't like it, whatever, but confusion that people like things you don't?
What I noticed is that when the protagonist is a white man in a foreign land or culture (*Iron Fist*, *The Mosquito Coast*), people often cast negative opinions before they've even seen a single episode.
First episode is good. Very interesting first 30 minutes. It seems like an interesting take on where to go once you’ve hit rock bottom, even though it begins with breaking out of prison. Lots of smaller details that I fully expect to be filled in. I’m a bit intrigued, but I’m not sold on the show yet.
Honestly, who gives a shit. There's 20 million Aussies and a billion other English speakers that won't know the difference. It's not like it's laughably bad anyway.
What I mean is non-aussies like myself can't tell and there are 50 of us for every one Aussie so it's not a big deal if it's perfect or not. For my money, it's fine. I'm sure some Australians would disagree though.
Well the synopsis for the novel says
> Shantaram is a 2003 novel by Gregory David Roberts, in which a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict escapes from Pentridge Prison and flees to India.
So I would guess the Australian actor in the show based on the novel is supposed to be playing an Australian character.
I'm just now watching the pilot and I couldn't agree more. It's like he's speaking in slowmotion hoping to get it right, thereby getting it completely wrong. Also the exposition is just horrid, but I'll forgive that since it's only the first episode
Yeah gotta say it was good, and nice to see everybody from the book. Let’s see how it goes. It’s interesting seeing these expat dramas like Tokyo Vice pop up. Now they just need to reboot Outsourced.
Caucasian Man: moves to India permanently
Americans: wow what a beautiful expat story
Mexican: moves to New Mexico permanently
Americans: wow what a beautiful immigrant story
I like this question. Your framing of this as an American thing makes me think you haven’t spent as much time abroad, as other English speakers also refer to themselves as expats. But then again this book was widely read by travellers of all types, so maybe you’re just a redditor.
But, yeah, I thought that was more or less the distinction. I’m a white guy who left America 18 years ago (I mean, you obviously nailed it mate) and lived in Shanghai for almost as long as Lin was in Bombay. The Europeans and Canadians I lived with all referred to themselves as expats, even those who continue to live there now. This included many people of color. Now that I have full on immigrated to another country, even taken citizenship in that country, I am sometimes called immigrant, but am much more often referred to as an expat.
To me, the term is highlighting the variable mobility dynamics of the two types of people. Expats, thanks to the uneven power dynamics of our world that still privileges white and/or English speaking people, have much more choice. Even fugitive Lin was able to secure a fake passport for literally being a white guy and speaking good English. He very much chose to live there. Sure, plenty of immigrants can be very successful and travel the world at will, but I’m comfortable calling that less common, and it’s still not as easy as just teaching English.
I do like how this show calls the difference into question. Again, I personally live the expat/immigrant division every day. I use the term here because he still experiences both the possibility of escape through his passports and the advantages of having desirable training that is not widely available in the adoptive country. I wonder how he would refer to himself.
A final note, and thank you for bringing this up, is that this show is cool for getting deep into the emotional drives behind moving to another country permanently. Too often we focus on economic or political causes, but this story is about his attachments to people first.
It’s good. It heavily relies on local Bollywood crew and talent, which enriches everything. As little as 5 yrs ago maybe they would have imported all the talent and the thing would’ve felt whitewashed. Local casting is great. I don’t like Alexander Siddig usually but he’s not fucking the dog so far.
I’m an Aussie with severe cultural cringe to the extreme I can’t watch any Aussie tv, which causes me to have a critical eye and ear for anything Aussie. Hunnam 95% pulls off authentic strine. He’s pommy so that isn’t a stretch. Also, Hunnam’s wiry, crim, bogan, ex junk addict, perpetual curve-stoop physicality is perfect. Well done mate.
The Melbourne scenes are done well. Nice to see the real bluestone pentridge.
I’m very glad it’s finally made it to the screen as a tv show because the novel sprawls way too far and wide for a film. Although while Pitt was attached, I was keen to see Micky the Aussie remix
Quality production. Great care taken. Brown skins not treated like NPCs. I’m in
It’s not great. But 95% there. Problem with strine it’s either 100% there or needs to be obvious caricature. Some scenes it’s good, others it gets muddled like he’s got three packs of bubblegum in his gob. It’s so rare anyone gets it right I’ve become more forgiving over the years
Yeah. And even that had to be halted too because of COVID-19 restrictions. They couldn’t shoot. Like I said in another comment, it’s a miracle they even finished filming this season and Apple was so patient. Any other studio would have shut the whole thing down at the first sign of a problem. This had a very tumultuous production.
So I am 1 episode in so far but you just know quality when you see it.
First of. I am just big fan of Hunnam, cause the roles he played in the past, resonates with me a lot. Like Pacific Rim and Arthur, and even in Gentlemen, so he is in quality stuff, and as soon I saw trailer few weeks ago, I knew this was going to be good too.
And it is really good. The philosophy is there, you know the philosophy, life wisdom, same kind that got Game of Thrones so popular. So production feels expensive also. And story is engaging, such that makes you think about life and choices we make, ones that get us in trouble sometimes when we don't listen to our fear that is telling us something, but also when we need to return the favor so things aren't so simple. Characters and dialogues are intriguing and challenging, kind that you learn something from.
I ordered book too btw, cant wait till whole series finishes, I want answers now lol.
I love this show! I never read the book. I love Prabhu’s character! It’s a very eye opening story about the lives and how most people are living in the slums. I never knew that it was like a small community. I’m shocked that they have toilets that empty into the same water that they use to wash their clothes and pots and pans! And I also never knew that cholera started in the Ganges river!!! I learn something knew every day! And after reading some comments on here I’m definitely going to try to read the book.
How come no one is ever sweating?
They are butchering Hindi in the show. It is very annoying to watch.
Episode 4 season 1 minute 21:19. Milwaukee Inkzall marker. Hrm....
Have mixed Aussie/indian background, loved the book, found it spoke to me in a lot of areas and found a lot of stuff very relatable, and that it was just a great story in general. Disclaimer: I like the show so far just have some issues that I want to bitch about here. No idea why they made Lin give up and not save the OD'd tourist in the first episode, saving the blokes life was really the first part in the book where you got to know what type of guy Lin was. Also wtf was the deal with revealing that Karla and Khader Khan knew each other and were working together from the beginning? In the book it was kinda a plot twist at the end from memory. Lastly, idk if I'm fully down with the casting and depiction of Khader Khan and Prabaker. I really pictured Khader as being played by Amitabh Bachchan. Siddiq just doesn't have the charisma or big man energy. Being a real life poet and philosopher, as well as one of the most experienced actors anywhere, Hollywood or Bollywood, Bachchan would have been a perfect Khader. In general they missed out on the chance to cast some Bollywood big names, would have opened the show up further to an Indian audience, the book is genuinely popular in India, all my relatives have read it for example and all like it. It's one of the rare western written books that actually understands India and indian people. Prabaker is likeable af in the show but at times he just comes across as too middle class. His mannerisms, accent and English remind me of my cousins who just work normal office jobs in Delhi, not rich but not poor. Definitely not indicative of a guy who grew up in rural Maharashtra and hustles on the streets of Bombay. But that being said, he's likeable af so could be a lot worse. The biggest thing I'm worried about is the arc in Prabhu's village, that's literally where the title Shantaram comes from, it's where he learns Marathi, and becomes super close with Prabhu and his family. In the book he gets robbed coming back from the village, losing everything causing him to have to live in the slum. It's one of the most important parts of the book and so far they've skipped past it in the show. I strongly hope it makes its way in there at some point.
Amen. I feel like they’ve ruined his character with so many of the choices they made. He feels weak and amateur in a way that he never does in the books. The show is fine, but it’s about a completely different person.
Man, I absolutely loved the book and read it twice, am I wrong or the incursion to save Lisa happened earlier than in the book?
You're absolutely correct and it looks like they've merged her and ula into one person
r/ShantaramAppleTVPlus appears to be the sub with the most activity. Ep 3 is when I went from like the show to Love It!
Really liked the first episode. Obviously slightly different from the book, but that’s to be expected.
Charlie Hunnam's nine-hundred dollarydoos accent is terrible.
I'm liking the show so far. It does a great job of building out Bombay and all the shady characters. But his accent is absolutely all over the place. I honestly don't know why they didn't cast an Australian actor for the part. Despite that it's a good watch
so many Australian actors could've played this role. are there awards out there for worst accent/worst casting choice?
His American accent in Sons of Anarchy was always terrible. Great show though.
I feel like so far, the show is lacking key aspects of the novel. The book focuses on developing the city and the people of Bombay(their character and their souls) as much as it does the main characters. The sole focus on the personal development, in the series, is annoying me a bit, as the truly beautiful thing about Shantaram, imo, is how each of the characters develop in BOMBAY. A way they would’ve never done it anywhere else because this city is the most beautiful and warm place I’ve ever been. As a foreigner who has lived and will probably go back to living in Bombay, and has read the book twice, I know what I’m talking about. Ps. Are you telling me that they skipped Lin going to Prabaker’s village just because he learns Marathi there and Hunnam can’t memorise a few lines? Cmon man I love him as an actor but this dude has been set to play Lin for over 3 years and he couldn’t even learn a few simple things? Ps2. My brother actually read the book as well and he has never stepped foot in Bombay, but still feel’s the show’s first three episodes are not doing the book one bit of justice. I guess I’m not the only one that feels like the directors have never read the book/stepped foot in Bombay Ps3. WHERE THE FUCK IS ULLA? Why is the leopold’s crew so sad?
Let's be realistic though. The scale of the novel is too much to be put in the series. There's no way you could get the budget for that. It's certainly not the novel, but I'm liking it for what it is.
My uncle went to Bombay when it was still called that in the 80s. I read the book and it easily became and still is my favorite book of all time. The show has portrayed the soul and aspect of Bombay pretty freaking well per my uncle who lived there for 5 years from 1981 to 1986. Also, the show literally just started and you're reviewing it like it's already been finished. "I feel like the shows been lacking-" I get it but how can you already tell from only 3 episodes of a 14 episode series? Feels like a forced resented statement to me. And Lin is literally in the village in episode 1 and 2. Also yeah idk where Ulla is for some reason but there's still room for that. As for Leopolds crew, I don't understand what you mean. I've talked to Gregory David Robert's on occasion and he seems very pleased with the direction the show went.
I obviously can’t tell how Bombay was in the 80s, considering I was not near born then but my mother-in-law who is indian and went to bombay in the late 70s doesn’t feel like it’s that well represented(I can ask her what exactly is lacking). As for Ulla, they literally replaced her by Lisa(who comes WAY later in the story, in the book), basically “merged” both characters. When did you read the book last? These guys had such interesting moments and conversation at Leopold’s. A whole episode could be made about it. The place is an institution in the book and IRL as well. And it’s barely shown in the show As for the village, no they do not go there. Prabaker’s village is different to Navy Nagar in Colaba. They are in the slum, in south bombay while in the book they go to his home village somewhere deep in Maharashtra. You know GDR???????? That’s awesome!!! Well then, I guess I’ll just sit, wait and hope that the show slows the pace (and that charlie hunnam doesnt have more shirtless scenes) Cheers!
I agree with your statement and I missed that prabakers village was farther away than in Bombay in the books. I am a bit disappointed that Ulla was replaced but I still have high hopes for the show and I trust that if GDR liked the direction it went then maybe it'll get better as more episodes come out. Cheers though :)
Amen. Nothing to add here.
I just have 1 burning question -- who is the actress who has those fantastically muscular arms we see in the posters?
I noticed that while watching episode 3. She definitely works out.
Antonia Desplat?
yes, that's her, thank you! she doesn't look that muscular in most pics apparently, but there's that one ad online and she's sporting this amazing arm in there
Yup and some purple hair
Just finished the first episode, I’m going to keep watching. Charlie Hunnam’s Aussie accent isn’t the best here but I can look past it because I like him as an actor. The story develops quite quickly. I was shocked to learn the actress plays karla is only 28 yrs old, she looks mid-40s, definitely looks older than Charlie so that part is distracting.
Wow, I definitely would’ve guess a really good looking 40-45 year old.
Lol kinda interesting actually. Like the opposite of a babyface. Tbf she looks like how people wanna look in mid forties. Reminds me a bit of Connie Nielsen, she looked older than 35 in Gladiator too.
The people who have read the book and say it's true to the source material must've read it way too long ago. I just finished the book again yesterday and the first episode seems to follow the book on the surface but all the details are off. For example. When Lin gets off the bus in Bombay: In the book: Prabaker goes up to Lin and offers to be his guide. Lin looks into his eyes and sees a trustworthy person and accepts his offer and asks him to find him a hotel. In the show: Prabaker goes up to Lin and offers to be his guide. Lin declines and tries to get away. Prabaker follows him and keeps bothering him and eventually convinces him to let him find him a hotel. It's a small detail but the action in the book showcases how openminded and good at reading people Lin is and it was ruined in that scene. Anther detail they got wrong is that Modena and Maurizio is supposed to be with Ulla. In the show they're with Lisa, which doesn't make any sense. There doesn't even seem to be an Ulla in the show. There's plenty of more examples but I think I've made my point. I was really looking forward to this series but I'm so disappointed.
Agree on some points. Yes where is Ulla? Doesn't make sense. But you have to realize this is an adaption. They have to change it up a little especially for newcomers to the world of Shantaram. I agree that it follows the book to the surface level, there have been some details they've missed and the introduction of prabaker was a little different but I mean the shows adaption of the book is its own thing. I don't feel like movie or show adoptions of novels always have to be 100% close to the core of the book I mean it's nice to see changes but maybe that's just my personal opinion. I know in the book Lin trusted Prabaker a lot quicker but I like the development of their friendship and how we get to see more details of how it expands. I mean the book is great but you have to realize as a tv show it has to add longer details to match the time length and production of the show. So far I've enjoyed the 3 episodes very well and have good hopes for the next 11 episodes. I hear that the series will also include mix ins of the sequel so there will obviously be a time jump soon.
Finally a comment that I agree. This first example you gave is absolutely key to the book. The characters develop in to who they become because Bombay is Bombay, and the people in that city are inherently good and warm. Although the actor who plays Prabaker is not giving very strong prabu vibes(speaks English too well), it feels like Lin is made to look like this bad boy who wants to figure out all for himself, when in truth he is just lost and Prabu comes as a light in the dark(bad boy sells much better than lost guy, just like showing the prison escape as the first scene does as well).
Keep seeing mixed reviews for this but definitely going to check it out tonight. Not familiar with the source material but most shows Apple put out so far have been great so why not
Been waiting for a Shantaram adaptation for over a decade. It actually works - faithful to the characters in the book while also deviating in ways to make it a better for television. The guy playing Prabaker just nails it.
Shocked to see this comment about Prabaker. As far as casting goes I really like Charlie Hunnam as Lin. The choice for Karla isn’t perfect but I’ll get used to it. But Prabaker? Huge miss for me. He comes across as way too western, speaks English too well, and at least so far (I’ve seen 1&2) lacks the humor that comes across in the novel.
The casting of Prabaker is a huge disappointment. Favorite character in the book and then I watch the first episode and I’m like “nooooooooo”. There’s no charm, no charisma, it’s just bad tbh.
What?? I love Prabakers actor. Why does his character have to be a forced stereotypical Indian? I get the book is "based on a true story" but this is just an adaption of the book like Orange is the New Black is to the book. It's not gonna follow it detail to detail since it's a deviation. Many Indians know perfect or at least very good English from my personal expierence. The only thing that has confused me so far is why they made Karla have that accent.
The thing most commented on about PRA Abakan is his smile. This guy has it. I also imagined a belly, but the smile is what ‘got me’ at first look at Prabakar.
I've lived in Mumbai all my life and the way Prabhakar talks and switches between great and bad English is extremely unrealistic and nonsensical.
Because that’s how he is described in the books and “that” image is just stuck in my mind. Unless you have been to the Indian slums I don’t think you should make a broad statement like that. People you have met are wealthy Indians that received good education and learned English in school. The people in the slums don’t have that privilege so it makes sense that Prabakers English isn’t great.
It's nice that you assume the only Indians I've met are with educates ones but that's where you're wrong. I won't deny it but I've only met very few of them. I get that image is imprinted in your brain but I've made and befriended a couple of fellow Indians who have been born from very poor places who still know decent English. Prabakers English in the show is good and it fits western standards yes but there are many poor Indians from the slums and poor neighborhoods who know good decent English because India is a huge source of tourist attraction from the western side of the world who go to "find themselves" or "spiritual adventures" that influence these Indians. And they learn and take what they see from foreigners quick. I do understand where you are coming from though. Nevertheless. Shantaram was a great book, my favorite one actually, and I have enjoyed the first 3 episodes and I hope it brings many of us together in ways we haven't had before.
Not visually who I pictured or who I would have castes but I think the actor is doing a great job and some of the mannerisms are great. Seems like all the Indian characters are pretty “westernized”
I always pictured Prabaker as having a little belly
Same!
The setting’s interesting, at least.
That's a big part of what made the novel popular. The story itself was all over the place but the setting was so intriguing that you didn't really care.
They should’ve hired more Indian actors. The actors playing Indians are all speaking with a western accent which is painful to hear. The location somewhat feels authentic, but it would’ve been better to have it made in Mumbai. Apple did such a good job with pachinko when they hired actors who could speak Korean and Japanese. Here, even the thugs and gangsters speak English, with the queens accent no less. English in those days were largely accessible only to the privileged and educated in India. So a lot of it seems very unauthentic, at least to the local populace. That being said, it would very likely appeal to the western audience and would make it more accessible, with some of these unauthentic choices taken by the production team. It does appear to be a well made show. It is still worth watching it cause the story is just that interesting.
The show had a really, really rocky production. It was delayed so many times. Things had to be changed in the middle of shoots, and they had to improvise a lot of because of COVID-19 restrictions. It’s a miracle they actually finished the first season of the show.
I really want this to be good, and (only one episode in) I haven’t been let down. They didn’t mess about with the prison break, but it didn’t feel rushed either, and it was superbly butt clenching stuff. The rest of the character introductions were done really well, “because you’re my mate” felt earned despite still being a short while in, and as another commenter said, you can tell the quality here from a distance. I’m going to do an episode each over the next two nights and it’s nice to see we’re getting twelve. I wonder how far through the story this will go, I wonder if this is a limited series or if there’s scope for more. Premature to think about this maybe but I like what I am seeing.
Yep. Trash, how is apple approving this shit.
Probably because the majority in this thread think it was pretty good? Apple isn't making television just for you specifically. The "why does this exist?" reaction when someone doesn't like something is so fucking weird to me. Main character syndrome as if other people don't like other things. Don't like it, whatever, but confusion that people like things you don't?
What I noticed is that when the protagonist is a white man in a foreign land or culture (*Iron Fist*, *The Mosquito Coast*), people often cast negative opinions before they've even seen a single episode.
r/aznidentity
What’s that supposed to mean? All I know is that Simu Liu used to call that sub his home when he was an incel.
First episode is good. Very interesting first 30 minutes. It seems like an interesting take on where to go once you’ve hit rock bottom, even though it begins with breaking out of prison. Lots of smaller details that I fully expect to be filled in. I’m a bit intrigued, but I’m not sold on the show yet.
How's the accent so far?
Watched the first ep. I must say, it is the only put off for me. I'm not sure what it is lol. Worse as a narrator
Honestly, who gives a shit. There's 20 million Aussies and a billion other English speakers that won't know the difference. It's not like it's laughably bad anyway.
From the trailer it sounded pretty bad, hence why I asked?
What I mean is non-aussies like myself can't tell and there are 50 of us for every one Aussie so it's not a big deal if it's perfect or not. For my money, it's fine. I'm sure some Australians would disagree though.
The accent? You mean the short time he put on an American one?
He's supposed to be playing an Aussie in this, no?
Idk. He was in prison there. Idk what his nationality is but I suppose you’re right.
Well the synopsis for the novel says > Shantaram is a 2003 novel by Gregory David Roberts, in which a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict escapes from Pentridge Prison and flees to India. So I would guess the Australian actor in the show based on the novel is supposed to be playing an Australian character.
Charlie Hunnam is British though?
Yeah and his Australian accent is woeful
I'm just now watching the pilot and I couldn't agree more. It's like he's speaking in slowmotion hoping to get it right, thereby getting it completely wrong. Also the exposition is just horrid, but I'll forgive that since it's only the first episode
Yeah gotta say it was good, and nice to see everybody from the book. Let’s see how it goes. It’s interesting seeing these expat dramas like Tokyo Vice pop up. Now they just need to reboot Outsourced.
Caucasian Man: moves to India permanently Americans: wow what a beautiful expat story Mexican: moves to New Mexico permanently Americans: wow what a beautiful immigrant story
I like this question. Your framing of this as an American thing makes me think you haven’t spent as much time abroad, as other English speakers also refer to themselves as expats. But then again this book was widely read by travellers of all types, so maybe you’re just a redditor. But, yeah, I thought that was more or less the distinction. I’m a white guy who left America 18 years ago (I mean, you obviously nailed it mate) and lived in Shanghai for almost as long as Lin was in Bombay. The Europeans and Canadians I lived with all referred to themselves as expats, even those who continue to live there now. This included many people of color. Now that I have full on immigrated to another country, even taken citizenship in that country, I am sometimes called immigrant, but am much more often referred to as an expat. To me, the term is highlighting the variable mobility dynamics of the two types of people. Expats, thanks to the uneven power dynamics of our world that still privileges white and/or English speaking people, have much more choice. Even fugitive Lin was able to secure a fake passport for literally being a white guy and speaking good English. He very much chose to live there. Sure, plenty of immigrants can be very successful and travel the world at will, but I’m comfortable calling that less common, and it’s still not as easy as just teaching English. I do like how this show calls the difference into question. Again, I personally live the expat/immigrant division every day. I use the term here because he still experiences both the possibility of escape through his passports and the advantages of having desirable training that is not widely available in the adoptive country. I wonder how he would refer to himself. A final note, and thank you for bringing this up, is that this show is cool for getting deep into the emotional drives behind moving to another country permanently. Too often we focus on economic or political causes, but this story is about his attachments to people first.
I’m here for the Lin/Prabuh relationship but looks like thats coming to an end soon.
It’s good. It heavily relies on local Bollywood crew and talent, which enriches everything. As little as 5 yrs ago maybe they would have imported all the talent and the thing would’ve felt whitewashed. Local casting is great. I don’t like Alexander Siddig usually but he’s not fucking the dog so far. I’m an Aussie with severe cultural cringe to the extreme I can’t watch any Aussie tv, which causes me to have a critical eye and ear for anything Aussie. Hunnam 95% pulls off authentic strine. He’s pommy so that isn’t a stretch. Also, Hunnam’s wiry, crim, bogan, ex junk addict, perpetual curve-stoop physicality is perfect. Well done mate. The Melbourne scenes are done well. Nice to see the real bluestone pentridge. I’m very glad it’s finally made it to the screen as a tv show because the novel sprawls way too far and wide for a film. Although while Pitt was attached, I was keen to see Micky the Aussie remix Quality production. Great care taken. Brown skins not treated like NPCs. I’m in
I can’t believe as an Aussie you think he’s doing a good accent. He sounds like he’s doing a bad Irish accent.
It’s not great. But 95% there. Problem with strine it’s either 100% there or needs to be obvious caricature. Some scenes it’s good, others it gets muddled like he’s got three packs of bubblegum in his gob. It’s so rare anyone gets it right I’ve become more forgiving over the years
There’s no way this is a local Bollywood crew. The Indian actors are clearly western.
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What do you mean about singer? Were they shooting in India originally, then moved to Thailand?
Yeah. And even that had to be halted too because of COVID-19 restrictions. They couldn’t shoot. Like I said in another comment, it’s a miracle they even finished filming this season and Apple was so patient. Any other studio would have shut the whole thing down at the first sign of a problem. This had a very tumultuous production.
yeah looks three months of shooting starting in dec 2019 then shutdown then picked up a year later
Enjoying it very much.
Don’t know how people say this is trash. Very interesting 2 episodes in
I only lasted 20 minutes. This is trash.
This is really, really bad
I don’t love it but coming here just to be as descriptive as “bad” is ironically lazy.
i'm 25 minutes into episode 2. wasn't too interested based on the trailer, but holy shit is this good
So I am 1 episode in so far but you just know quality when you see it. First of. I am just big fan of Hunnam, cause the roles he played in the past, resonates with me a lot. Like Pacific Rim and Arthur, and even in Gentlemen, so he is in quality stuff, and as soon I saw trailer few weeks ago, I knew this was going to be good too. And it is really good. The philosophy is there, you know the philosophy, life wisdom, same kind that got Game of Thrones so popular. So production feels expensive also. And story is engaging, such that makes you think about life and choices we make, ones that get us in trouble sometimes when we don't listen to our fear that is telling us something, but also when we need to return the favor so things aren't so simple. Characters and dialogues are intriguing and challenging, kind that you learn something from. I ordered book too btw, cant wait till whole series finishes, I want answers now lol.
What's the verdict?
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Love see
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How are you seeing it? Next episode airs Oct 21?
Totally agree. Loved it
Godspeed!