IIt took me a long time and some hard lessons to learn everything I know about love, luck, and escape. That story has me beaten, loved, befriended and chained on three continents. But it started with a simple choice, survive or die.” Told a stern Dale, played by Charlie Hunnam, as he was described His experience of escaping from an Australian prison.
This is the new series of Apple TV + Shantaram starts with The first narration line is lifted and replaced with the first sentence from the 2003 novel by Gregory David Roberts, on which it is based. The show centers on Dale, an Australian bank robber who was arrested in connection with the murder of a police officer. But he seeks freedom from prison in 1982 in Bombay under the nickname Lindsay Ford or Lynn, a New Zealander.
thrilling but somewhat worn out prison break scene is quickly replaced The standard, panning drone shots of Bombay slums and crowded buses combined with the luxury of Marine Drive’s surroundings.
At this point, it makes sense be concerned that this latest Australian production, set and filmed around Bombay, will fall prey to The same western gaze and white savior tropes that have ruined many productions in the past.
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Except for one important element – Gregory David Roberts’ source material is semi-autobiographical, or at least he claims it is. and it seems Happen Enough for lead writers Eric Warren Singer and David Lightfoot as well as director Bharat Nalluri To make a picture From When it comes to Adding sensitivity and authenticity to this western gaze.
from fake duty and law (1982) – inspired film poster by dressing up a striking picture of Bombay on the front wall of Dale/Lynn’s hotel room depicting several scenes taking place in Leopold Choice, Reynaldo, the production team as well as cinematographer Stephen Duccio been depicted. In a pre-economic liberalization aesthetic.
Fortunately, the series’ strengths so far haven’t relied on as large a Paramount-Apple budget and cast as on-location shoots. makes commendable performance across the board. Most British and Australian actors of Indian origin perform the tough yard of world building as extravagant and peripheral characters, while Shubham Saraf performs brilliantly in the most carnivorous Indian role, as Prabhu, a tourist guide who is a confident- Trickster starts out as a tour guide but develops a fruitful friendship with Lynn.
Series star Charlie Hunnam has often struggled as a leading figure in previous Hollywood productions, especially in terms of box office draws. As such, even a basic act like hiding his native Geordi accent appears to be a challenge, especially when he was criticized by some for his disjointed speech patterns. sons of Anarchy And Pacific Rim, But here, Hunnam arrives at the massive party, even finding humor by portraying Lynn as a polyglot as well as an expert impersonator of pronunciation.
While the series’ early episodes are at their strongest when they only allow dialogue to run and the actors develop chemistry accordingly, it is tempered by Hunnam’s stilted narration, who is Highly faithful to the style of the source material.
At first, it made sense as a nod to longtime fans of the novel and an explanation of Base in the first episode. But too often, this doesn’t leave you enough room for interpretation and is unnecessarily broken up by even important, intense scenes, like when Lin came to assault Italian criminal Maurizio, best known for Skins fame. K was effectively played by Luke Pasqualino.
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Shantaram Singer quit as showrunner midway, as well as delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was replaced by Lightfoot. This could possibly explain some of the discrepancies in writing quality, as the series occasionally oscillates between slow-burn brilliance and forgettable mediocrity.
Altogether, Shantaram takes a largely unknown cast and uses them masterfully to create a slightly flawed, period piece adaptation of Roberts’ seminal work, perhaps thanks to Bharata Nalluri’s direction, which is mostly streamlined from a technical standpoint.
(Edited by Tarannum Khan)