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Hey ~ it appears to me that if Johnny Depp is frightened to film in India ( an admittedly somewhat daunting task) then he is clearly not the right man for the job. This character was so often fearful but acted regardless and always with authenticity . This is a role for a man that carries a different weight and depth, a different kind of energy than Johnny has and clearly not wanting to film this story in India is ludicrous, disingenuous and should not be done! Johnny should pass.....

Hello, Kitabi. Nice to see you here. Like you, I long to visit (or re-visit) India someday. I was there as a young fellow over 30 years ago. It would be a very different experience now in my 50s, but still good, I think.
Of course it could be very bad too, if my luck wasn't with me.

I hope you make it!

Welcome aboard Kitabi

Hello fellow Shantaram lovers and Indophiles:

Namaste.  I will order a small chai masala and plate of samosas and will introduce myself.  I am a lifelong fan of all things India and though I am sixty years old, I would love to visit India one day.  I have read Shantaram at least once a year for the last three years.  It has to be one of the most amazing books that I have ever read.  Gregory David Roberts makes Mumbai come alive and his portrayal of characters is done with consummate skill.  Past novels that I have loved include "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry;  "Sea of Poppies" by Amitav Ghosh; "Freedom at Midnight" by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre.  One of my favorite characters is Didier Levy, the witty, somewhat dissolute bon vivant and habitue of Leopolds.  My favorite scene is when Prabhu, Linbaba and the bear handlers dress Kano the bear, now a fugitive from prison,  up like Ganesh to help him escape detection by the police.  Phir me lenghe.

Hi both !

Glad you guys made it here. Well, you know by now you're not alone in admiring the book as we all do here, and all are eagerly waiting something new to add to their GDR corpus of books. Someday, that and a movie, until that day is what we say around here

Well those are some good ways to begin the movie for sure. I always liked the idea of the movie starting as close to the book as possible.

Hell, I'd even vote for the entire thing to go by the book but we all know that won't happen, but if the prologue to the movie went via that r in fact. what do you think?

Well I always imagined it being like the very first page of the book. He would be chained to the wall being tortured with flashes of events to come (perhaps of Karla, the mafia, Khader, the slum - but no important events are exposed) and Lin's narration. Then the story would start with beautiful footage of Bombay and Lin's first day in India

Hello
I am Prashant, fourth year Engineering student. I had read Shantaram in my second year and instantly fell in love with the book. I have never come across something as engrossing and engaging and this book will always have a special place in my heart. Though calling it just a 'book' doesnt seem to be right either

I lent my book to a friend while travelling around India. I made the mistake of praising the book and glorifying every aspect. This meant she had high expectations. She found the book difficult to manage (the length was intimidating) but she remained enthusiastic. Pity I took the book back from her (when I left for Australia) so she never got to finish it. 

Heya this is Alex  I've just come back from 7 months in India. I read Shantaram while I was touring around with friends. I was ecstatic to be in Bombay and see the sights portrayed in the book. I admit that I loved the city before I even arrived there due to the book.