Shantaram (2022) s01e01 Episode Script

It took me a long time
and some hard lessons
to learn what I know about love,
fate, and chasing redemption.
That story saw me beaten,
loved, befriended, and chained
on three continents.
But it started with a simple choice,
escape or die.
Back in here at one
o'clock, you bludgers.
Not quarter past after
a smoke. You hear me?
- Yeah, yeah.
- I know.
- Ooh, here he comes.
- Hello, doggy.
Psst!
You fucking dog!
- You're in trouble now, mate.
- Dead man!
You're gonna get yours, dog.
You're a dead man.
They let Barnes out of the slot.
I know. I just saw him. I thought
he had another month to do.
He's got friends in
high places, hasn't he?
I'm not ready.
Dale, would you just
forget about escaping?
Tell that bloody cop
what he wants to know.
And then what? I'm not a dog, Ned.
Well, every fucking convict out
there already thinks that you are.
Shit, Barnes, he almost killed
you last time, didn't he?
What, you think he's just
gonna not finish the job?
- Fuck it. I'm going now.
- You're what?
Dale! What about me?
You gotta take me with you.
Dale. Dale!
It's nearly one o'clock. It's
never gonna work with these things.
Dale, we've gotta go back.
Dale, listen to me!
We can get back onto the
wing before the next count.
There's a buzz saw downstairs.
- No. They'll know it was missing.
- Or they won't.
Well, they'll bloody
well hear it, won't they?
We'll wait until the
work crew come back.
- It won't work.
- It will work.
Because they'd never think a convict
would be stupid enough
to use a power saw
to escape over the front wall.
And they'd be bloody well right.
Fuck this, man. We have to go back.
Mate, I can't go back.
- Come on, come on.
- You four.
We need to make a start
and then bring those upstairs,
through into the back.
Fuck it!
Fuck.
Stay tight. They can't see us from here.
Okay.
How high is it?
- Thirty, 40 feet, maybe.
- Uh-huh.
We could bloody break our legs.
- Move.
- Dale, I'm scared of heights.
You're gonna be fine, mate.
You know what? You go, all right?
I'm gonna go back, but you go.
- For fuck's sake. Calm down.
- Just let me go. I can't fucking do this.
You can't go back. 'Cause then
they're gonna know I'm gone.
- Yeah b
- Hey, yeah. Mate, you're going first.
Fuck.
In that moment, I was
waiting for the rifle shot.
I didn't dare think I might be free.
The cops been here?
No.
Where did you go before coming here?
I didn't.
Not to your mother?
That's the first place
they'd be waiting.
I was the next person
you thought of. Why?
I don't know.
I didn't give it much thought. I
just jumped the wall and got away.
I didn't have much
of a plan beyond that.
Well, I'm sure you have friends
who can be much more use
in your current situation.
Practically, I mean, to a fugitive.
You're not my student anymore, Dale.
And I'm not in the business
of helping escaped convicts.
Sir, I had to escape.
They were gonna kill me in there.
I really didn't have a choice.
Choice is all you have.
That's easy to say.
I mean, I can't go back to
college. I can't be a paramedic.
There's not much left.
I was so proud of getting
out of where I came from,
of how proud my mum was
proud of what you saw in me.
And now look at me.
I'm a failed student, a failed son
a failed criminal, failed addict.
You're better than all those things.
No.
No, I know what I did
what I need to pay for.
Dying in prison wasn't
gonna make it right.
You haven't escaped anything
unless you go on to something, so
what do you want to be?
I wanna be the man I was
gonna be before all of this.
You can't. Not here. Not anymore.
Then I have to leave.
Mmm.
Why?
Because I know who you really are.
And I think you came here to
have someone remind you of it.
No more guns, Dale.
No more armed robberies or heroin.
Don't you make me into a fool.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Bombay.
While opening the
overhead compartments
- Go. Go on.
- please take care.
The first thing I noticed was the smell.
In that first Bombay minute,
I didn't recognize it.
But I do now. It was the smell of hope.
- Next.
- Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to Bombay
International Airport
But standing there with another
man's name and fake passport,
hope and fear felt much the same.
Good morning, sir!
I am number one guide in Bombay.
I know everything there is
to know about my golden city.
You are in need of assistance?
I can show you everything.
- Hey Thank you, but no.
- Sir, let me assist you, sir.
Yes, sir.
But forgive me, sir, this
was only a one-time no, huh?
And here in my India, a
one-time no is not a true no.
Yeah? So what's a true no?
Only after three noes, it is a true no.
Please, sir, allow me to
show you cheap, clean hotel.
And after, you decide what to pay.
What if I decide to pay nothing?
Then that is your choice, sir.
But I don't believe it's
a choice you'll be making.
I am number one guide in Bombay.
Number one pain in the arse.
Yes, sir. Very big, sir. Everyone
agrees. You are knowing me too well.
- Ah, you want to see our merch?
- No.
Sir.
Myself, Prabhu.
Lindsay.
- Lin-see.
- Lindsay.
Lin-see. Sir, don't mind, huh?
But this is a
not-so-good name.
- No?
- No. No, thank you.
It is too long and squeaky
for, uh, how Indian people speak.
- Okay.
- I think short name, short name.
- That's
- "Lin" is better.
- Yeah, no problem.
- You do not object? I can call you Lin?
- Uh, Lin's fine.
- Very good.
Also, it has a very lucky meaning.
- Oh, yeah? What's that?
- "Great penis."
Great penis?
It is not meaning this exactly,
but it is sounding like ling,
and that is meaning, "great big penis."
Watch out.
No, no, no. I'm telling you,
it is full power name, too lucky name.
Everyone will love this name
when they hear it. You'll see.
Okay, you win.
Show me a hotel.
Sir, come, sir.
You like?
I like.
Where are you coming from?
New Zealand.
You studied philosophy, hmm?
How's that working for you?
That why we're here,
to debate philosophy?
Oh.
What, you think you're too
clever for me, do you, Dale?
I'm just a dumb policeman.
But years of experience
has given me a philosophy
based on, uh, you know, empiric research
that, just like day follows night,
every man succumbs to his nature,
even a smart boy like you.
You think your mother's proud?
I was watching her in the
courtroom, blaming herself.
- Well, you broke her heart.
- Don't talk about her.
You know why you are worse
than all the scumbags in here?
Because you had the
chance to be different.
All the advantages she
worked so hard to give you,
and yet here you are.
And a good man is dead.
Who killed Officer Floris?
Give me the name.
Come on, mate.
I can't remember.
You will.
Oy.
Wake up, Linbaba! I
have so much to show you.
I charge 100 rupees a day.
For this, I will show you everything.
Tourist pay for taxi.
Should we take this white
motherfucker the long way round?
Chai also.
- I pay?
- Mmm.
How long has this
motherfucker been in town?
What is this "maderchod"?
Oh, "motherfucker."
Very good curse, Linbaba.
Everyone is using it.
"Bhenchod" also. Sisterfucker.
- Sisterfucker?
- Mmm.
Bloody hell!
Is he fucking mad?
And if we stop for lunch
How much do you charge
this white motherfucker?
Who are you calling "motherfucker"?
Ooh.
I was a wanted man
with a price on my head,
on the run with no home and no country.
But for now, I was free.
Every day on the run is your whole life.
And there's hope and
excitement in the new.
I don't really need any fabric.
You know, I'll come back maybe
tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow.
You're going to come back here.
Thank you.
Look out!
You're lucky I was here.
Maybe you're my guardian angel.
No. Definitely not.
There's too much devil in me for that.
- How much devil are we talking?
- Hey, Karla! Come on.
If you come to Reynaldo's sometime,
maybe you'll get to find out.
Oh, Karla!
- Who is this?
- You made a new friend?
You found it then. I'm Karla Saaranen.
Lindsay Ford. People call me Lin.
They do?
Yeah, I'm aware of the
whole "great penis" thing.
Just "penis," no "great."
Just means, you know,
everyday, average, kind of
All right.
Beware her riddles and
her seductions, young man.
- Didier Levy.
- Lindsay Ford.
- Were you leaving?
- Yeah? Just got here.
Then why on earth are we standing?
Come. Join us.
You can stand to eat a meal if you must.
You can stand to make
love if you're able,
but it's impossible to stand and drink.
It's the act of a barbarian,
an animal at the watering hole.
Whiskey
the same.
Reynaldo's was an unofficial free zone,
scrupulously ignored
by the local police.
Didier was a permanent fixture,
putting together buyers
and sellers of anything
that could earn him a commission.
But strict rules apply to all
the business conducted there.
Deals for drugs and contraband were
openly transacted at the tables,
but these agreements could only
be sealed on the pavement outside.
Hookers, dealers,
gamblers and gangsters.
Men who might kill each
other any day and knew it.
But, in Reynaldo's, no
blood was ever spilt.
Dangerous man, that one. Rafiq.
He used to run a black market in books.
- Books?
- Passports.
Rafiq is bitter about
losing his book business.
Men were killed.
- What about that guy?
- The victor.
Abdullah Taheri.
He works for Abdel Khader Khan,
one of the great crime
lords of the city.
Didier, you talk too much.
What, are you expecting
many serious injuries here in Bombay,
huh, Linbaba?
Force of habit. I was an ambo back home.
- Ambo?
- I drove an ambulance.
Better w-we pretend you're a doctor.
We could be making so
much money like this.
Many patients I could bring
you for a small commission.
Better we don't mention it at all.
Very cool, these sunglasses.
Like Amitabh in Trishul.
Don't do that.
It's style, boss.
Do you wanna swap?
- Huh?
- Do you wanna swap?
But In all honesty, these
are cheap and not so good.
Do you want them or not?
Why you do this?
Because you're my mate.
- What?
- I walked here barefoot
'cause a guy came in my shoes.
He looked totally straight,
then I went into the bathroom.
When I came out, he was there
with his cock in his hands,
splashing his junk in my shoes.
Oh, my God.
Ugh, Lisa.
I liked those shoes.
- Mmm, poor darling.
- How do I wear them now?
Mmm.
Lisa was an old friend of Karla's.
Somehow sad and sexy as
hell all at the same time.
Crazy people love me.
No, they pay to love
you. That's different.
Have I told you to
get fucked yet, Didier?
No, but I forgive you for the lapse.
Between us, Lisa, darling,
such things are always
implied and understood.
Mmm.
You should do an interview,
Lisa. Anonymous, of course.
- Yes.
- People will be fascinated by your story.
They will be fascinated by
the man who came in her shoes?
- Yeah.
- Who would read this, Kavvie?
Vikram Khanna was a Bollywood stuntman.
His sister Kavita was a journalist.
Smart and ambitious and
eager to make her mark.
What brings you to Bombay, Lin?
Tell her nothing, Lin.
In Bombay, everyone's
story is their own to keep,
which drives Kavvie crazy.
Arre, that's true. That's true.
Oh, Maurizio.
Wherever Lisa went, her
pimps Maurizio and Modena
- were never far away.
- This is Lin. He's from New Zealand.
Lin, Maurizio and Modena.
Lin.
Means "prick" in Hindi, right?
He looks like a prick to me.
It takes a prick to know one.
My grandmother was from Padova.
Wow!
Any other languages
we should know about,
just to avoid further embarrassment?
I swear pretty good in
Marathi and Hindi these days.
Oh.
I can even speak fluent American
if the occasion demands.
It's pretty good. Do some more.
"Well, I'm not asking you to forgive me.
I'll never understand or forgive myself.
And if a bullet gets me, so help me,
I'll laugh at myself for being an idiot.
But there's one thing I do know.
That is that I love you, Scarlett."
Wow.
- Arre, do Clint Eastwood. Can you?
- Yeah. Yeah.
"Well, you gotta ask
yourself one question.
'Do I feel lucky?'
Well, do you, punk?"
- What is
- It's Dirty Harry.
- Is that a Western?
- You don't know Dirty Harry?
Dirty Harry! You don't know Dirty Harry?
Is that Clint? If it's not
a Western, I'm not seeing it.
You should be an actor
or something, Lin.
And we should have dinner sometime.
You can talk American to
me all night. I'd like that.
Bye, bye, bye.
- Ciao, Maurizio.
- Ciao.
- Oh, nice, nice. Ciao, Maurizio.
- Bye.
- Oof, he's angry, man.
- He's like, uh
- He didn't look happy, yaar.
- I think you embarrassed him.
Those first few weeks, I
watched all of the seekers
come and then leave,
heading for the "real India,"
seeking enlightenment and
solitude and self-contemplation.
But I'd had my share
of that forced on me.
Instead, Bombay felt
exhilaratingly free,
a place where everyone started new.
And I responded to
that with all my heart.
You should get out of Bombay, Lin.
This is the place they
were thinking about
when they invented the word "the pits."
You should go to Varanasi or Rajasthan.
I don't know. I like it here.
And perhaps Bombay offers our Lin
things he won't find anywhere else.
N'est-ce pas ?
Give this to Karla for me?
Tell her I said not to
worry. I'm a big girl.
- Ciao, Didier. Lin.
- Oh, Maurizio.
Andiamo. We don't want to
keep Madame Zhou waiting, hmm?
What's that all about?
In matters of food, I am French.
In matters of love, I am Italian.
But in matters of business, I am Swiss,
strictly neutral, especially
with other people's business.
And I advise you to be the same.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I see a man who might be of
great consequence to my fortunes.
Bonne chance, Lin.
- Something I said?
- No, he's just got business to attend to.
- Looked like your meeting went well?
- It did, actually. Very well.
You just missed Lisa. She
gave me something for you.
Walk with me?
I like that you haven't
asked what this is for.
None of my business.
Yet here you are. How come?
Lisa asked. I like her.
Well, Lisa would spend all
her money on dope if I let her.
I told her she needs to save
some in case she ever needs it.
I hold it for her.
- "Fuck you money."
- Exactly.
She'll never use it.
Even more than the heroin,
Lisa needs to feel looked after,
even if it's by men like
Maurizio who get her into trouble.
Maybe she'll surprise you one day.
I doubt it. She is what she is.
You don't think people can change?
They have to want to.
I think life's like a crowded lifeboat.
Maybe you throw out your
pride to stay afloat,
maybe your self-respect
and your independence.
And then, you start throwing people out,
friends, everyone you used to
know, and it's still not enough.
The boat is still sinking,
and you're going down with it.
That's Lisa. She'll
never get out of the boat.
You're a good listener.
That's dangerous because
it's so hard to resist.
Being listened to
really listened to
it's rare.
Makes a person feel special.
Okay, now you're taking this
good-listener thing a little too far.
What do you do here in Bombay?
Um, for a while, I
worked as a translator
for business interests from
the West and here in Bombay.
And then I realized if I was
the one making the deals happen,
why not make them happen myself.
Bombay is changing fast. There's
a lot of money to be made here.
Is money what you want?
What I want is to be
master of my own destiny.
Money gives you that freedom.
Have I disappointed you, Lin?
No. No, not at all.
I think freedom is all you can
ask for, however you find it.
What does your freedom look like?
To be able to choose
where to be, what to do
with who.
Then I'm honored.
This is me.
Mm-hmm.
I'm sorry to have kept you so late.
You should grab a taxi. I'll pay.
I'll walk. Good way to
get to know the city.
- You sure?
- Mm-hmm.
Then thank you, for this
and for walking with me.
I enjoyed it.
Yeah, me too.
Fuck.
Stop right there!
- Come here.
- Hey!
Where are you going?
Nowhere. Just a tourist. I
got a little bit turned around.
Hey, it's past curfew.
There's a curfew?
Show us your papers.
Show your passport.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Look, breaking curfew, very bad.
- I think you should go to jail.
- Ah, come
Hey! Would you like to go to jail, gora?
No.
I think you would not like
to go to jail at all, Mr
Listen, I'm leaving Bombay.
It's time I moved on.
Where?
I don't know. Goa maybe? Varanasi?
- When?
- Tomorrow. This'll be our last day.
Yeah, yeah. These places
all the goras are going to,
I don't think you'll like.
- Can't stay here forever.
- No, I know this.
But you should go to a
real Indian village, na?
Listen.
I'm listening.
If you are wanting, I could
take some time from my schedule
and take you to my village.
I've never offered to take a gora
before, but you are my good friend.
How far is it?
One train, two bus rides.
It is beautiful there.
You'll come, na?
I would be honored.
And I will charge same
as Bombay only, huh?
One hundred rupees a day.
I assume I'm buying the train tickets?
Hey, very generous of you
to offer, Lin. I accept.
- Who is it?
- Karla.
Laundry day?
Yep.
I'm leaving town.
Were you gonna say goodbye?
Yeah, I was gonna come
by Reynaldo's tonight.
Come in.
These are quite something.
Yeah. Tough paper round.
What's going on?
I was hoping you'd maybe
help me with something.
Okay.
Lisa's in a really bad situation.
Maurizio convinced her to work
in a brothel called the Palace.
It isn't good. It caters for all tastes.
And Madame Zhou, the woman who
runs the place, is pretty scary.
What about Maurizio?
Maurizio doesn't give a shit
about anyone but himself.
Parker was coming with me
to demand Lisa's release
as an American citizen.
Madame Zhou is powerful,
but does not want trouble
with the American Embassy.
Sounds like a good plan.
It was, until Parker left town.
Ah.
I can't stand the idea of Lisa
being prisoner in that place.
And then I thought of you doing
your accents the other day.
Lisa said you were pretty good.
And you thought I could
pretend to be this guy?
Yeah.
I Look, Karla, I'm
sorry, but I can't.
You could.
I mean, you're not just some
tourist out to see the world, Lin,
or I wouldn't be here.
Maybe that's why I can't get involved.
Everyone here is running
away from something.
Yeah, I know. And I plan
to keep right on going.
It doesn't work. Trust me. You can
be free of anything but yourself.
You don't know anything about me.
But I thought there was
something worth knowing.
Guess I was wrong.
One way or another,
you're gonna say the words.
So let's just get to it, huh?
Who pulled the trigger?
I'm not a dog.
I'm here to be punished for what I did.
No, no, no. Doesn't
fucking work like that.
You don't get to feel better.
Punishment is punishment. Pain is pain.
Fuck!
This isn't a path to a
better place, kid. Huh?
This is all you've got coming.
There's no redemption
for the likes of you.
Don't you knock? Even just once?
We must go and collect our
train tickets for tomorrow now.
This way, no last-minute problems.
Also, we must buy gifts
for everyone in my village.
Everyone?
Help me! Help me!
Call an ambulance!
I'm gonna go get some help.
- This is not our business, Lin.
- Let's go. Lin!
- Please. Help me.
- Let me see. Let me see.
- When was the last time he shot?
- He's dying!
- When was the last time?
- I don't know.
- Give me some room.
- Somebody call the police.
Lin, this is not our problem.
It is very bad business.
- When did he last shoot?
- It is best we are not involved!
- Lin, let's go!
- An hour? I don't know.
Lin, the police are coming!
- We have to go! They'll arrest us all!
- Please. Please!
- Chalo! Chalo. Down the stairs.
- Please! Don't go! He's dead!
No! Come back! Come back!
You know, I could've saved him.
I've treated overdoses before.
Where are you taking him?
I don't know, Linbaba. He
was looking pretty dead to me.
I could have fucking tried.
It's nothing to do with me.
It's better not to get involved.
- You have to come with us now.
- I don't wanna come with you.
What's the point, Prabhu,
being here, of any of
it, if all I am is scared?
What is it that you are scared of, Lin?
I gotta do something.
Hey, Lin, we are leaving
tomorrow early, yaar.
Look, go get the train tickets.
I'll be back here tomorrow.
We'll leave as planned.
Right now, I gotta be somewhere.
- Who is it?
- It's me. Lin.
- I'll do it.
- What?
Lisa.
If we can go tonight, I'll do it.
Either way, I'm leaving Bombay
first thing tomorrow morning.
What changed?
Guess I need to be running towards
something, not away from it.
Come here.
Choose something smart.
You've got a lot of men's clothes.
The last two guys who
lived here left suddenly.
And didn't take their gear?
One of them was breaking the
law. He had to leave in a hurry.
I'll leave you to it.
Fits you well.
So what happened to the
other guy who lived here?
He died.
Whose suit is this? The
bad guy, or the dead guy?
I bought it for Ahmed to be buried
in. In the end, we didn't use it.
Fuck me, Karla.
Don't tell me you're
superstitious. A man like you?
What does that mean? A man like me?
I don't know. Isn't that the point?
Who do you report to?
Counselor for Political
Affairs, Arlen Hayes.
Your hometown?
Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Deputy Chief of Mission?
Donald Donald Gable.
Rumor is, Zhou is the former
mistress of a KGB officer.
But people say a lot of
weird stuff about her.
Bottom line, she is smart,
vindictive and dangerous.
Lisa wouldn't be the first girl
to disappear from the Palace.
How do you know so much about her?
I get paid to make deals happen.
Some of them happened here.
Fuck me.
Ram ram, Miss Karla.
Padma.
Sir, if you please, your business card.
Mr. Parker. Karla knows the way.
Ready?
Is this your American?
Gilbert Parker, with
the American Embassy.
This is not an official visit.
At least not this time, anyway.
- You are here doing a favor?
- Yes.
- For you.
- I don't think so.
Are you in love, Mr. Parker?
- What?
- I fear you are in love with our Karla.
Is that how she got you to do
this little job of work for her?
I'm here because I was
told an American citizen
is being held against her will.
Don't think for a minute that
Karla will ever love you in return.
I tell you this, Mr.
Parker, as my favor to you.
Duly noted. Now, where's Lisa Carter?
Mmm. Lisa is where she is happy to be.
Well, then bring her out and
let her tell me that herself.
I don't think so.
Let's go. This is a waste of time.
Karla.
Your business is with me, not her.
You don't look or talk
much like a diplomat.
No. No, I work out of the embassy.
Nobody said I was a diplomat.
My department tends to
be a little more hands-on.
Parker.
So you should get me Lisa Carter.
Because if you fuck with
me for one minute longer,
I will have agents
camped on your doorstep,
taking photographs of
anyone coming in or out.
And I'll make it clear to
the authorities here in Bombay
that the Palace and the US
government are now at war.
Quite the dog you bring
in here on a leash, Karla.
Is this about Ahmed and Christina?
Nothing you do will change
the fact they are gone.
If I walk out of here
alone, there's no going back.
All right.
I agree to your terms, Mr. Parker.
You can take Lisa with you.
I just wonder if Karla will keep
her end of whatever bargain you made.
She's really letting me go?
Mr. Parker here and Madame
Zhou came to an agreement.
Then I guess I should
be thanking Mr. Parker.
Let's get the fuck out of here
before she changes her mind.
What the hell were you thinking,
going after her like that?
You wanted her out, she's out.
I wasn't gonna leave her behind.
I need a fix, Karla.
Zhou cut me off unless I
told you I wanted to stay.
But I knew once you got my
message, you'd come running.
Come here.
I'm ready.
I'll quit.
I just have to level off.
- Lisa.
- Hmm?
Give me the name.
Give me the name.
Rujul.
The man I saw was Rujul Aadekar.
It's gonna be okay.
Wait!
Lin, stop! Come on!
Please.
Why? So you can feed me more
bullshit about Madame Zhou
and whatever history
you and her have got?
You know, I heard her say
that dead guy's name, Ahmed,
the guy whose suit I was wearing.
- I didn't sign up to feed anyone's habit.
- There's more if you want it.
Fuck you.
You know, I heard Lisa in there.
You got her out so she
could give you some name.
Wasn't to rescue her.
And I wonder what you're so guilty about
that playing the hero
was this important.
So this was all just some shit you
fed me 'cause you knew I'd bite?
We all have secrets, Lin.
I don't wanna know yours
because I have no intention
of telling you mine.
But you're right. I got
Lisa out for my own reasons.
But that doesn't
change the good you did.
Don't confuse the two.
I hope you find what you need.
Ah! Fuck!
Police! Run!
I felt like I'd been dropped
straight into deep, dark water.
Everything exploding around me.
I didn't know then how far the ripples
from that night would spread
into the future
I am number one guide in Bombay. I
know everything there is to know
touching everyone,
friends and enemies
changing everyone's lives forever.