From Page to Screen

Apple TV+ turned Shantaram into a series in 2022, but it was hit by pandemic delays and creative clashes and was canceled after one season. The problem was built in: the book's power comes from its flood of sensory detail and its narrator's voice — both hard to put on screen.

Roberts later wrote a sequel, The Mountain Shadow (2015), to mixed reviews. His standing may turn on one question: is Shantaram great as a novel, or great as an experience?