Shantaram Season 1
Episode No 2 Recap And Review
Shantaram episode 2 in a flashback sees Dale leaving the country and preparing to come to India to "lose himself". One of his friends, Charlie, helps him with a passport and a "share" of the money because he doesn't reveal Charlie's identity to the police.
Right now, we're starting from where we finished episode 1. Dale fell to the ground, beaten. All his belongings have been stolen and he has nothing to fall back on. After he refuses to go to the hospital, he is helped by the police who accompany him to his hotel. Prabhu sees that he has arrived just in time and takes Daly out of the facility.
The reason for this is that the policeman is corrupt and will ask him for a bribe. If he can't come up with the money, Dale will be thrown in jail.
Although not much, Prabhu's jhopadpatti in the Sagar Wada slum area provides a safe haven for Dale for the night. There, the two men bond over food, whiskey and cannabis. Lisa finally comes to her senses and tells Carla what she needs to hear.
One named Rujul Aadekar will hand over the contract for Sagar Wada land to Vadil Shah. This leaves Karla in a tizzy as she makes an urgent appointment with her partner. Lisa accuses Carla of being selfish in taking him out because the information was important to her and her partner, Khader. At the same time, the other girl who witnessed the deal is grateful to Carla for taking her out because Sunny is dead.
Dale is left with no choice and no help when Carla is turned away for help. Prabhu offers to become a business partner to earn fortune, but Dale rejects the idea.
This girl was his attraction in Australia and they had planned to come to India together just to bypass it. Dale was also a drug addict, but managed to avoid drugs.
Although Carla appears to be a gentleman at first glance, she actually meets Khaderbhai, a local mobster. He relays Lisa's information to her. Khaderbhai had once helped Karla get a foothold in the business, just as he had helped Karla Daly.
His line of work is relatively clean and morally "sound". In this respect, he is like Vito Corleone, who refused to be involved in the drug business despite the huge profits he made with Sollozzo. Karla and Khader were planning to buy their land in Sagarwada and had entered into an agreement with Rujul. However, in the light of new information, this proposal tends to be given to Vadil Shah. Carla tries to protect Dale from his suspicions that Khader knows too much, but in vain.
The next stop for Dale is Reynaldo, where he meets Didier. The French master has limited means and resources and the only person who can give him back his passport and his life is Khaderbhai. Didier flatly refuses to talk openly about Saray, Rujul or Khader, but this further frustrates Daly. Maurizio teaches him an important lesson when he spits on his desk. "Know the game and the players before you get into it," is the Italian's advice to Deyle. Modena reacts differently to the news that Lisa is not doing well and goes in to check on her.
Khaderbhai invites Rucul to his place. The two were previously on good terms. While the former provides bribes and commissions to the latter, Rujul provides the power of government connections. Khader's tone changes completely when Rujul says that he has "called Walid back". Because Khader chose not to deal with brown sugar, and the sex business made him irrelevant.
Khader becomes enraged and stabs Rucul to death. After Charlie refuses to send more money, Dale is formed to accept Prabhu's offer to become his business partner. Carla meets him and pays him a thousand dollars, just enough for a new passport, to keep her secret.
After trying to leave Prabhu, Dale is forced to ask Prabhu for forgiveness once again. Since Carla gave him the money, he thought he could get away without a trace. When some witches come to confront Dale, all the surrounding houses are accidentally set on fire. Staying is a risky prospect for Dale, but he reaches out and helps the slums. Back at Carla's place, Lisa and Carla dance together and Lisa confesses that she loves him, she looked up to him in the past, wanting to be like him.
Episode Review
Episode 2 reveals the real muscle and power game going on in the heart of Bombay. Carla is definitely not what we think. He is actually one of the high-ranking individuals with a twisted moral to seek his own interests.
His "gift" to deceive people, to think that he cares for them, to take advantage of their weakness and helplessness, was fully demonstrated here. But he redeems himself in the climax by helping Dale and comforting Lisa. Important players in the plot, such as Khader and Walid Shah, were also introduced as menacing figures.
The two belong to different factions in the local structure of the criminal world.
The show definitely benefits from his presence and he is what holds the story together.
Shantaram promises a great ride, but with a little more focus, the upcoming episodes could be even more interesting.