Shantaram EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Hunnam on his ‘dream month’ in India, falling for its meals and tradition

Gregory David Roberts’ best-selling novel Shantaram was in talks for movie and TV adaptation since years and eventually, an episodic re-telling of the epic story is ready to launch on AppleTV+ with Charlie Hunnam in lead. The actor greatest identified for starring in Sons of Anarchy takes on the difficult position of Lin, an Australian convict who flees to India. 

In a roundtable joint interview with Charlie Hunnam and Shubham Saraf, Pinkvilla obtained an opportunity to ask Hunnam about forming a reference to India whereas capturing for Shantaram and his expertise of spending time within the nation after the present was greenlit. Contemplating a significant chunk of the capturing of Shantaram occurred in the course of the pandemic, regardless of its peculiar setting of early Nineteen Eighties  Bombay, the present couldn’t be shot in India. As for Hunnam although, the actor reveals how his largest connection to the nation was shaped by way of Gregory David Robert’s writing.

‘Most fun publicity to India’

Charlie Hunnam recalled how his “deepest” and most enjoyable publicity to India was by Shantaram. Talking about his response to studying the e book, the actor mentioned, “Within the final 15 years my deepest publicity or most enjoyable publicity to India was really by studying Shantaram about seven-eight years in the past after which I grew to become obsessive about the e book, obsessive about the thought of being part of the inventive staff to have the ability to convey it to life.” Charlie is just not solely the lead actor but in addition a producer on the upcoming present. 

Spending a ‘dream month’ in India

Earlier than taking up his position as Lin, who finds himself fascinated with the great thing about India after he flees from Australia to get misplaced within the crowds and away from his previous, Hunnam himself additionally deliberate a visit to the nation and revealed how he skilled its tradition first hand earlier than the present went on the flooring. The actor mentioned, “My associate and I went to India and had only a dream month there the place we confirmed up and solely had a resort room for the primary evening in Mumbai after which we simply needed to be footloose and fancy-free and go wherever and see no matter India needed t present us. It was actually like a tremendous journey and I fell head over heels in love with the individuals, the geography, with the tradition, the meals, all the things. So, I used to be actually upset that we weren’t capable of shoot in India.” 

Whereas a majority of the present was shot in Thailand, Hunnam did admit that one iteration of the present was shot in Bhopal and Mumbai and Indore. The actor additionally added that regardless of their want to return to the nation to shoot extra, it was the unfold of the Delta virus variant on the time that stopped them from capturing in India once more. Though, Charlie additional added how his personal expertise of spending time in India helped him saying, “I am so grateful that I obtained to spend that point and get a way of my very own relationship with the nation in order that I wasn’t simply exhibiting up having by no means been there in Thailand and having to fake like I knew what was occurring.” 

With the brand new Apple sequence gearing up for its launch quickly, for these unreversed, there have been as soon as additionally talks of Johnny Depp taking up the undertaking again in 2007. The e book was to be tailored into a movie with Johnny and likewise veteran Bollywood star, Amitabh Bachchan was roped into it with Mira Nair because the director. Nonetheless, the movie was placed on pause and finally obtained shelved. 

As for Charlie Hunnam’s upcoming sequence, the present stars Shubham Saraf as  Prabhu, Antonia Desplat as Karla, Alexander Siddig as Khader Khan  Elektra Kilbe as Lisa Carter amongst others. The present has created by Eric Warren Singer and Steve Lightfoot, with administrators Justin Kurzel and Bharat Nalluri. Shantaram kicks off its first season with twelve episodes, it is unclear but if there can be one other season for the present. The primary three episodes of Shantaram can be premiering on October 14 on AppleTV+. 

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