Apple TV's 'Shantaram': Where is Gregory David Roberts, the man on whose novel the miniseries will be based?
It's been almost two decades give or take since Gregory David Roberts' 'Shantaram' captured the fancy of readers around the globe. Now, it has caught Apple TV +'s eye, with Charlie Hunnam set to play the character in a series based on the book. Needless to say, he's quite the mystery.
An Australian man, whose life fell apart after a divorce in the most unimaginable way, Shantaram's story has long been debated as fact or fiction. Although the author, Roberts, has insisted that it was all spun out of thin air, few probably believe it. With Roberts' own life mirroring the character's arc of Lindsay, the protagonist - a heroin addict who becomes a bank robber, gets caught and then escapes from prison in broad daylight becoming one of the country's most wanted men. He fled to India after and became a part of the Bombay mafia.
Roberts, was known as "the building society bandit" during his years as a criminal in Melbourne when he escaped from Pentridge in 1980 and was captured in Frankfurt a decade later. He wrote his book while in prison in Australia after being extradited from Germany.
Roberts' 'Shantaram' was the first book of a planned quartet. A sequel entitled 'The Mountain Shadow' was released in October 2015 that continued the tale. But it's been a while since Roberts has said something. A fugitive, an addict, a poet, and a social worker, it's been a quiet couple of years since his last book and his very last interview - so where is he now?
Hate to disappoint you, but don't get your hopes up about a retweet.
Roberts is living the quiet life delving into his craft and creativity - his art, as he puts it. He retired from his public life in 2014, according to a published letter. He doesn't have email, mobile phone or social media and wishes to be erased from cyberspace. He is, however, working on many new projects, he says.
His debut novel 'Shantaram' has been published in 39 languages in 42 territories worldwide and sold six million copies. The book is often recommended for its vivid description of the ever-moving, rumbustious city that is Mumbai. Roberts also apologizes in the letter for the things he's done. "I've done wrong, I've made just about every mistake there is, and I dug a trench in my own honor. But as a sinner who tries to sin no more, and who knows that it's never too late to change if you never give up hope, here it is," he writes before adding ironically, "Connection is everything."
Along with Hunnam, Radhika Apte and Moulin Rouge actor Richard Roxburgh have also been signed as part of the cast for the Apple TV + miniseries. Roxburgh will play Detective Sergeant Marty Nightingalem who works for the Australian Federal Police and is part of the elite unit trained for the pursuit and capture of escaped convicts. While Apte will play Kavita, an Indian journalist.
Justin Kurzel will direct the first two installments of the 10-episode series. It is expected to start production in Australia and India in October with a $5 million tax incentive from the Australian government.