Dasgupta awaits release of ‘epic’ Shantaram

A TRAINED theatre actor, Silence is Sujaya Dasgupta’s (left) third high-profile play after A Thousand Splendid Suns and Death of a Salesman.

She will soon turn her attention back to TV when she starts promoting the series Shantaram, based on Gregory David Roberts’ best-selling 2003 novel.

Adaptation of the novel was stuck in development for years with Mira Nair first announcing in 2007 that she would direct a film on the book with an all-star cast, including Johnny Depp and Amitbah Bachchan. But that never came to fruition.

Dasgupta said she was a fan of the novel and was delighted to get a main part in the Apple TV production, with Charlie Hunman in the lead role, and which will be released on October 14.

“We had the book on our shelf for years and it’s just been a classic,” she said. “I was so excited when I heard they were making it into a series. The book will be slightly adapted to allow more characters to come to the fore and more stories to be told.

“It is based on the premise of the book, which is about a convicted bank robber and heroin addict who escapes from an Australian prison and lands in Mumbai and then falls in love with the city and the country. And he becomes a doctor in the slums, but also gets caught up in the organised crime gangs there.

“It’s just a rollercoaster ride. And it’s really epic and exciting.”

Dasgupta said the advent of streaming platforms has given British Asian actors opportunities they may not have got in the past. “These streaming services have given us a variety of roles, which is brilliant. It’s not just stereotypical parts, what we used to get, a doctor, a police officer role, it’s become much more varied.

“Obviously, there’s always things that could be done and more changes can happen, but we’re on the right path.”

Dasgupta also noted the support south Asian artists give each other. “We’ve got fantastic actors working at the moment and I love supporting everyone, but especially from your community who are working and doing so well; it’s amazing.

“I love that for our press night, we had so many actors of south Asian heritage and directors and producers... We should all be supporting each other... And just and being there, seeing each other’s work, promoting each other’s work and advocating it.”

■ Shantaram starts on Apple TV+ on October 14