‘Shantaram’ Review: Charlie Hunnam Stars in a Vibrant Picture of ’80s Bombay

A meditative exploration of life and the human mind. When it comes to streaming content, there’s a steady supply of shows that are meant to be consumed, played in the background, or at 1.5x speed, watched but never remembered. Apple TV+’s Shantaram is something you would remember. Created by Eric Warren Singer and Steve Lightfoot and based on the novel of the same name by Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram stars Charlie Hunnam as Dale Conti (aka Lindsay Ford aka Lin aka Linbaba), an escaped Australian inmate who runs to Bombay in the 1980s in the hopes of losing himself. Once there, he finds himself drawn into a world he doesn’t fully understand, pulled along by people who are saints and sinners by equal measure. In the process, we see a picture begin to form, of a city of dreams and opportunities, but also corruption and temptations.

With 12 episodes running about an hour long each, this show is certainly not something you might want to binge-watch. Take Shantaram slowly, episode by episode and scene by scene, so you can fully experience the brilliant message of the story. Of course, the messengers are brilliant as well. Hunnam has never been better, going even beyond his iconic Sons of Anarchy past to explore a character of infinite goodness and terrible circumstances who is finally starting to understand who he truly is. (Side note: Charlie Hunnam in a lungi (a kind of loincloth) is not something I knew I needed but damn!) Alexander Siddig plays Khader Khan, a philosophizing crime lord who is Hunnam’s true opposite on screen. Their chemistry and complicated student-guru relationship are magnetic, leaving you hanging on every word they exchange whenever the two are in a scene together. Shubham Saraf is delightful as Prabhu, Lin’s first friend in Bombay and the heart of the show. Prabhu is to Lin (or Linbaba as he calls him) what Virgil is to Dante, showing Lin the right path even as he stubbornly insists on following the wrong one. He’s a charming and kind man, even if he has to hustle a little to make a living.

If Prabhu is the angel on Lin’s shoulder, Antonia Desplat as Karla Saaranen plays the devil. She is a truly complicated woman who reveals new layers and angles with every interaction. Elektra Kilbey also delivers a memorable performance as Lisa Carter. Honestly, pretty much all the cast members do a great job, As does Bharat Nalluri, whose directing work on the show is electric, composing scenes of intense tension and extreme tenderness perfectly. The music, the cinematography, are all good — but the real star of the show is Bombay.