Previously in “Shantaram,” Episode 11, we saw Lin being chased by Officer Nightingale until Prabhu gave him a ride in his cab and rescued him. In “Shantaram,” Episode 12, we see that after escaping from Sagar Wada, Lin and Prabhu are riding in that cab, whose license plate number had already been noted by Nightingale. Lin requested that Prabhu drive him to Karla’s place since he understood that in addition to Khader and him, Karla’s life was also at risk as she helped publish an article centered around Walid Shah’s illegal trades. Soon after arriving at Karla’s place, Lin spotted Abdullah inside the apartment, but there was no sign of Karla or Lisa over there. They saw Modena lying on the floor with a bullet wound to his abdomen. Abdullah feared he wouldn’t make it, but Lin wasn’t the kind of person who would let anyone die on his watch. Lin quickly took Modena to a clinic to save his life, as he was the only person left who knew Karla and Lisa’s locations. “Shantaram” Episode 12 from here on follows Lin’s mission to rescue Karla. The couple was trying to flee Bombay against all odds. But would destiny allow them to do so? Let’s find out.
Spoilers Ahead
What Ruckus Did Kavitha’s Article Make? Who Won the Gang War?
Kavitha’s article had already been published in Bombay National, causing a stir in the city. Walid Shah, himself, read the article, but even though he liked the flair with which it was written, he didn’t like the fact that someone tried to attack his privacy. He ordered his men to attack Khader’s factories and buildings and deal with the journalist who dared to pick up the pen against Walid. Meanwhile, Kavitha lost her cool when she saw that her article had been published in the newspaper with Nishant’s name in the byline instead of hers. She went to his office to confront Nishant, calling him a “thief” for stealing her hard work, but as soon as she left, Walid’s goon entered the office and shot Nishant Patel dead in front of everyone. The shooter hurried away, and Kavitha was left speechless since she didn’t see it coming. She began to blame herself and finally realized how Karla had tricked her. She believed that maybe the entire purpose of the article was to expose Walid Shah and ignite a gang war so Karla could run away with Lin. Kavitha felt like she had been used like a pawn in Karla’s game and thus decided to avenge Nishant’s death.
The corrupt policeman, Sanjay, informed Khader Khan about Walid Shah’s men, who were looking for the appropriate opportunity to attack Khader Khan’s safe house. Khader suspected that Sanjay might choose Walid over him because he had more power and money than he did. But he was wrong. Sanjay had been loyal to Khader and thus devised a plan to bring the lion out of his den. It would have been impossible for Khader’s men, who were fewer in number, to engage in a direct war with Walid’s men. They needed a plan in which Sanjay played a key role. Sanjay told Walid that Khader and his men were going to attack his bar, and the best way to take them all out was to ambush them on their way. Walid was unaware of the fact that Khader and his men had set a trap on the path, and thus he fell directly into it.
The police jeeps and Khader’s vehicle blocked Walid Shah’s vehicle from both sides, and soon the police officers started firing on Walid’s vehicle and killed Rafiq. Abdullah, dressed as a cop, fired the last bullet, thereby ending Walid Shah’s reign. This specific scenario of gang warfare was cleverly and quietly shown. There weren’t too many unpleasant and repeated action sequences, which made it look sharp and intense. Eventually, Khader smiled triumphantly, implying that he was the most cunning fox among the lot, which was the only thing one needed to survive in Bombay’s underworld.
‘Shantaram’ Season 1: Ending Explained Who Got Lin Arrested?
Lin found out from Modena that Karla and Lisa had been taken away by Zhou and Maurizio, who demanded their money in return. Modena mumbled and revealed the location of the money that he had stashed in the rail station’s locker, as it would help Lin rescue Lisa and Karla. Prabhu accompanied Lin to the Zhou Palace, where Karla and Lisa were imprisoned. Zhou had threatened to sell them to the highest bidder, but that wasn’t going to happen since Lin arrived there in time to save them. Meanwhile, as word of Walid Shah’s filthy business spread, the mob became enraged and staged a riot near Zhou’s palace to drive them away or to throw them up to the authorities. Prabhu parked his cab in the midst of the outraged mob, and Lin entered Zhou’s castle. When Maurizio inquired about the money, Lin told him that he would return every penny in exchange for Lisa and Karla’s safety, but Zhou refused to let them go. Maurizio, who was usually impatient and never listened to anybody but himself, snatched the pistol from Padma and tried to kill Lin. However, before he could spill any more blood, Karla and Lisa, who escaped from their cell via a secret passage, intervened and stopped Maurizio. Lisa took the gun and shot all of Zhou’s men, including Maurizio, in anger. Karla had the chance to shoot Zhou, but Lin requested that she not stain her hands with blood and keep her conscience clear.
Lin, Karla, and Lisa left Zhou’s palace but couldn’t find Prabhu’s cab over there. As Bombay police took down Prabhu’s cab number, they discovered it parked amid the ruckus, which Prabhu could see, and he fled with his taxi. Lin returned to Didier’s room, and everyone believed Prabhu had stolen the money. But Prabhu returned, proving to everybody that he didn’t have to take the money simply because he was a poor slum dweller. Lisa went to the hospital to see Modena, but he wasn’t there; he may have fled to find Lisa.
Lisa and Karla arrived at Karla’s house while Prabhu bid his best friend, Lin, farewell. Lin gave him some cash from Modena’s bag so that he might live happily with Parvathi. Prabhu said he’d come to take Lin and Karla to the station. Lin and Karla finally shared an intimate moment and overcame the barrier that had kept them apart. However, as the lovers embraced each other, they realized that they needed to be close, or their world would fall apart. Karla was ready to talk to Khader so that she could arrange a passport for Lin that would help them to build a life together in some other city or country. However, she was unaware of the fact that there was someone else who was trying to break apart their newfound dream.
Kavitha revealed everything to the police out of rage, jealousy, or whatever you may call it. She couldn’t bear the thought of Karla living her perfect life with Lin while she was left alone to mourn her boyfriend’s death. She informed Nightingale about Lin’s relationship with Karla and provided the police with the exact location where they might find Lin. Karla went to Khader to ask for his blessing, as she had always seen him as her father. Khader wished her luck but was still skeptical about Lin and Karla’s motive for fleeing, so he might keep an eye on them. Though neither Khader’s blessings nor Karla’s devotion could protect Lin this time. Nightingale and the police had come to Karla’s apartment to arrest Lin. Seeing the danger looming on his shoulder, Lin tried to escape but had to confront Nightingale on the roof of the house. Lin was terrified when Nightingale said he would take him back to Australia. But Lin was sick of being controlled by his fear, so he decided to give Nightingale a taste of his own medicine. Lin unzipped the bag of money and discovered a revolver that Didier had slipped inside before they headed to Zhou’s palace. He swiftly got the revolver out and aimed at Nightingale to let him know what it was like to be threatened with death. Lin couldn’t possibly have the ability to shoot someone, and he didn’t even want to. He leaped from the roof, leaving behind the bag of money. He managed to flee and get to the railway station, but Nightingale caught Prabhu and threatened to reveal Lin’s location. Prabhu might have told him the truth since he, too, was afraid of all of this and had a family to provide for. But it was unlikely that Prabhu would betray his only friend, so he might have kept his mouth shut.
At the end of “Shantaram” Season 1, we saw some goons attack Lin and capture him at the station just as he was about to board the train. These officers were probably not with Nightingale, or Nightingale would have been physically present there. Hence, it brought us to the conclusion that these men or police officers were working for Zhou, who was waiting for a chance to take revenge on Lin Ford. Lin was sent to prison while Karla waited for him at the station. However, when Lin didn’t show up, Karla was distraught and realized that, as Zhou had said, she would never get her happy ending. She may have chosen to live alone after boarding the following train, but as the destination of her train was not revealed at the episode’s climax, we might assume she was heading to Goa, where Lin had previously chosen to go. Karla believed Lin would eventually meet her there. Here, Lin, who was once again held captive, was being brutally tortured while all of his hopes crumbled in front of him. He understood that love was both his and Karla’s weakness, which caused both of their dreams to shatter and drove them apart. He was now left with no option except to give himself over to his fate and feel his entire existence revolve around the wheel of destiny.
Was Maurizio Alive? What Happened To Modena?
Given that Zhou was still alive, we don’t believe Maurizio was killed. Therefore, it’s probable that Maurizio survived like Zhou did and was thus taken to the hospital. After Walid’s death, Zhou wouldn’t be left with much power in the city, and thus she would need all the manpower she could gather so as to create a force against Khader Khan and his men. Modena, on the other hand, was still alive, and it’s possible that he was captured by Zhou or her men. Or maybe he would die if the injury went untreated.
Will There Be A ‘Shantaram’ Season 2?
As per the official reports, season 2 of “Shantaram” has been canceled by Apple TV, so we can infer that this marks the end of the series. But if Season 2 of “Shantaram” had followed the same plot as the book, Lin and Karla’s lives would have been very hard in the end.
As per the story in the novel, “Shantaram,” Season 2 (if it would have been made) would have followed Lin, who was held captive in Arthur Road Prison. It is suggested in the books that it was Madame Zhou who used her contacts to get Lin arrested, as she wanted to take revenge on him for trying to interfere in her business. However, Lin wouldn’t have to spend much time behind bars as Khader Khan, who survived the gang war, helped Lin Ford and bought his loyalty with this gesture. Hence, after his release from prison, Lin would have become Khader’s right hand and started handling his illegal operations, thereby eventually transforming into a criminal, something from which he had been running away all his life. He searched for Karla and eventually discovered her in Goa. Having returned from there, he joined Khader’s operation to forge fake passports. Lin even made a trip to Afghanistan on Khader’s orders and became devoted to him, but his suspicions about Khader caused him to back out of his advice to accompany him to Pakistan. But after Khader’s sudden departure, his dead body was found. According to the book, Prabhu or Prabakar died in an accident, and the tragedy had a negative impact on Lin’s mental health, leading him to turn to drugs to get by. Later, he discovered Abdullah, who was still alive and made plans to travel to Sri Lanka to deal with another war. Lin accepted whatever came in his path as he realized that his only option going forward was to become involved in the criminal underworld. Even though the book ends with the possibility of a sequel, we are not sure if that day will come or not. Maybe, for Lin Ford, accepting his fate and giving up was the end of it all.
