Shantaram
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Shantaram
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Shantaram is a series that revolves around the heroin trade and sex trafficking rings of 1980s Bombay (now Mumbai), India. Since the show deals with criminals and organized crime, there's a lot of violence, including scenes of torture and of people being beaten or murdered by being stabbed, set on fire, and so on. Women are forced into the sex trade. There are also graphic scenes involving people being treated for medical emergencies in the slums. Adult characters are shown drinking and smoking marijuana or hash as well as shooting up heroin, becoming addicted, and trying to get clean. Finally, there's regular use of profanity, including "f--k," "s--t," "c--k," etc.
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What's the Story?
In SHANTARAM, ex-heroin addict Lin (Charlie Hunnam of Sons of Anarchy) finds himself hiding out in Bombay, India after escaping an Australian prison. He soon finds himself embroiled in the city's underbelly of organized crime, centered around sex trafficking and the heroin trade, while seeking redemption by serving as the slums' resident doctor.
Is It Any Good?
By opening with an exhilarating prison break, this series sets viewers up with expectations of action and suspense that it just can't seem to deliver on in subsequent episodes. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, Shantaram has everything needed for a hit at first glance -- gorgeous imagery set in an exotic locale, a charismatic sidekick (played by Shubham Saraf), a budding romance, political intrigue, and plenty of shirtless shots of Charlie Hunnam. Sadly, though, the show's writers couldn't find a way to successfully trim down the nearly 1,000-page book into a captivating tale. Instead we get the central character, Lin, talking ad nauseam about redemption and freedom, but continually getting in his own way. Again and again he makes a bad choice, gets himself tangled up in something illegal, is surprised when people get hurt, and ends up putting himself in harm's way to try to make it right. It's a tiring cycle that relies on a troubling White savior complex. Ultimately, nothing here is fresh enough here to keep audiences interested for long.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Shantaram. Did it feel realistic? Do you think it was necessary to the narrative? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
Why is Lin having such a hard time accepting the realities of life in the slums? Does he believe he knows better than the people there? How does this change as the story progresses?
Use the show's plotlines centering around the sex trade to talk about the sex trafficking industry. Where does it occur? What is currently being done around the world to stop it?
TV Details
- Premiere date: October 14, 2022
- Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Alexander Siddig
- Network: Apple TV+
- Genre: Action
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: December 1, 2022
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