Shubham Saraf and Elektra Kilbey on ‘Shantaram’ and the magic of recreating Eighties Bombay

Actors Shubham Saraf and Elektra Kilbey discuss bringing to life the tv adaptation of Gregory David Roberts’ bestselling novel

Actors Shubham Saraf and Elektra Kilbey discuss bringing to life the tv adaptation of Gregory David Roberts’ bestselling novel

Lastly, Apple’s tv adaptation of Shantaram, based mostly on the internationally bestselling 2003 novel by Gregory David Roberts, has arrived.

Following a fugitive from Australia named Lin Ford (performed by Charlie Hunnam) trying to get misplaced within the insanity of Eighties Bombay, the sequence, written and produced by Steven Lightfoot, charts 12 episodes as he comes throughout as a gamut of characters. Among the many folks he meets are the enterprising road information, Prabhu (Shubham Saraf) and Lisa Carter (Elektra Kilbey), an American who involves India for a religious awakening however finally ends up an addict.

Shubham Saraf is greatest recognized for his work in initiatives such because the thriller sequence Bodyguard, and the variation of Vikram Seth’s novel A Appropriate Boy. An completed stage actor, in 2022, he additionally garnered reward for his portrayal of Nathuram Godse in The Father and the Murderer on the Nationwide Theatre.

Shubham Saraf as Prabhu within the present

Is he on the cusp of breaking out as a star now, with Bollywood additionally on the horizon?

Shubham Saraf says, “Properly, it’s uncharted territory for me, as I’m a little bit of an intersectional identification act, being each British and Indian. I’ve achieved lots of work in theatre and movie in England and the US; and have been seen in India for exhibits like A Appropriate Boy. I’m additionally a part of the Bollywood remake of the 2011 Korean motion thriller Blind, which additionally stars Sonam Kapoor. So let’s see the way it goes,” he smiles.

Having grown up watching Hindi cinema, Shubham, who was in Mumbai just lately, says that Indian tales are “in his blood” and he’s simply acquired to determine the fitting ones to inform. “I really like Bombay/ Mumbai due to how not possible the town is; it shouldn’t work, but it surely simply does. And the rationale it really works is due to the pyaar! The love throughout one way or the other retains the town ticking.”

For Shantaram, the actor was witness to Eighties Bombay being recreated in Bangkok, the place the workforce was taking pictures as a result of pandemic restrictions. “Bombay is such an iconic place, and the dimensions of the entire set in Thailand was fairly jaw-dropping. We had tons of of extras, vehicles, buses and bikes all in Bangkok’s central Chinatown to make it look identical to Colaba.”

(ONLINE) “I nonetheless bear in mind the primary scene when Lin, performed by Charlie, will get off the bus for the primary time and encounters my character Prabhu as their journey begins collectively. It actually was overwhelming to see the wonderful dedication of the whole workforce pull this off,” Shubham remembers.

Elektra Kilbey as Lisa Carter in ‘Shantaram’

Filming for Shantaram was an much more surreal expertise for Elektra Kilbey, the Swedish-Australian artist, actress and songwriter. Having made her characteristic movie debut within the unbiased movie Odd Man Rush, Elektra has since balanced her movie and music profession, additionally forming a band Say Lou Lou along with her twin sister Anna Miranda. The duo, in actual fact, are set to launch a brand new EP to start with of November. “As soon as I learn Shantaram, I instantly traveled to Mumbai; the ebook made me need to go to the town instantly. Roberts’ descriptions had been so correct; from the colourful vitality and knowledge within the air to the distinctive tradition and even the crushing of our bodies on the roads!” she exclaims. 

Elektra’s character of Lisa Carter finally makes her approach into Bollywood within the novel, and the singer-actor is hoping she will get to discover the numerous aspects to her function finally. “Although I haven’t gone in-depth into researching on Bollywood, in fact I’m conscious of it and my character’s connections with the business; it sounds as fascinating as might be.”

Elektra Kilbey

She can be aware of the truth that a book-to-television adaptation brings up heated debates from followers of the novel: “Our motive all the time is to do the pages justice, honour the character, and produce out sides and vulnerabilities to the function that followers could not have gotten from Lin’s perspective whereas studying the ebook.”

Shantaram is at the moment streaming on Apple TV+ with weekly episodes

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