“Shantaram” Episode 5 begins with Lin Ford arriving at his favorite haunt, Reylando, to meet Karla and the others. Maurizio, Lisa, and Modena were seen carrying out their business deals with the same person of color we saw in Episode 4. Lin met Lisa, Kavitha, and Didier as well. Since Lin was on good terms with everyone, he caught up with them pretty well, except Maurizio, who still could not get along with Lin. Maurizio controlled his anger and tried not to attack Lin in front of everyone, but by the looks of it, it appeared that he was just waiting for the right opportunity to hit back.
During the conversation, Lin told Didier and Karla about his new family, the slum dwellers of Sagar Wada. Lin talked about his efforts to enhance their healthcare facilities. He explained to them how the government had been ignorant about them and had denied access to medical facilities for these people. What was more tragic was that those people, too, were not even bothered about it. Previously, in “Shantaram” Episode 4, we saw Lin had realized how the Sagar-wada slum residents dealt with the concepts of life and death. Lin explained that he couldn’t blame the slum inhabitants for not complaining, but it was his conscious duty to develop medical services in the area. He even joked about driving an ambulance in Sagar-wada. However, he suddenly realized that in doing so, he would draw a lot of attention and could expose his true identity. Lin realized that he had forgotten his past amid all of this. He needed to be invisible, but it was a satire that all eyes were on him.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Qasim Pay Lin Back?
Qasim, the chief of the settlers, was a man of principle. Thus, he did not take Lin’s donation (medicines he had brought) as charity. He gathered the slum dwellers and gave their collected rations to Lin. Lin felt overwhelmed, but Qasim had noticed him interacting with Khader’s henchmen, Abdullah, who brought a Royal Enfield for Lin on Khader’s behalf, which Lin had obligingly accepted. Later, Qasim came back to Lin’s hut and returned the money for the medicine. Qasim politely warned Lin that the people he was getting along with were extremely dangerous. Qasim further told Lin that these slum dwellers might be from a lower socioeconomic class, but they owed no one anything, which is why they coexisted peacefully even during the worst of the crisis. Lin had concluded that if he was going to live in Sagar-wada, he must abide by their rules, which meant he had to stop associating with Khader Bhai. He went to Khader Bhai to return the money for the bag of medication that Khader had given him (in “Shantaram” Episode 4). Khader acknowledged his decision, but he assured Lin that his door would always be open for him.
What Did Khader Assure Karla About?
Khader Bhai and Karla showed up to a ceremony to speak with deputy minister Pandey. Khader approached Pandey and pretended to be sad about Ruzul’s death. He assured Pandey that the ministers’ power is in the hands of the common people, and as the masses can give power to them, they can also take it away. When Walid Shah arrived, Pandey took a leave quickly. Walid’s interaction with Khader revealed that he was aware of Lin. Karla was upset about it and confronted Khader about his real motives regarding Lin. Karla initially struggled with her guilt over Ruzul’s murder. Since it was Karla who previously informed Khader about Lin (in “Shantaram” Episode 2), she was afraid that the same would happen to Lin as well. However, Karla got to witness Khader’s gentle and generous side.
Khader took Karla to a school that he had funded and told her that it didn’t matter to him what crime he had to commit to earn money; to him, it mattered what that money was used for. He believed that there was no sin in his crime as his illegal money and power would all be used for the betterment of Bombay one day. He promised Karla that he loved her like his own child, so that if she ever left Khader’s shady underworld and chose another path, their beautiful relationship would never be harmed. For a moment, Karla was completely persuaded by each of the words that Khader had said to her. But now it’s up to her whether she would choose to stay away from Lin or to make a relationship with him.
What Did Kavitha Find Out?
In the meantime, Kavitha—a journalist by profession and by passion—wanted to cover a story on Lin. In a newspaper article, she wanted to publish Lin’s humanitarian activities that he had been doing for the slum people. Kavitha encouraged honest journalism. She had always wanted to avoid writing about the rumors surrounding movie stars; instead, she preferred to focus on Lin and his charitable activities. Kavitha hoped that by having Lin’s work published in a newspaper, the country’s medical community would be denigrated.
Kavitha’s boyfriend, who was also a journalist for a newspaper, promised to talk to his editor about the story and a position for her in his publication. However, when Kavitha approached Lin to hear his story, Lin flatly rejected it. Kavitha tried to take his picture, but Lin ripped off her camera roll. Lin might have been able to handle the situation calmly, but he was still terrified of going back to jail. Despite the independence he had gained in India, he felt his freedom was fragile. He was aware that even a single photograph of him in the media could result in his arrest. Nevertheless, Kavitha was enraged by Lin’s misbehavior and became curious about Lindsay Ford’s true identity. Finally, she learned that Lin was using a fake passport and that the real Lindsay Ford had died six years ago.
‘Shantaram’ Episode 5: Ending Explained – Why Did Karla Stay Away From Lin?
After Lin had a panic attack over getting caught, he went to Prabhu’s hut to comfort himself. Lin was also anxious about Sonam’s health. Her health was deteriorating, and Parvathi was by her side all the time. As Lin went to meet Prabhu, he motivated Lin to approach Karla. Finally, Lin mustered up the confidence to talk to Karla and made his way to her home. After spending some quality time together, Karla and Lin shared their secrets with each other. Lin revealed his true self and disclosed his past life only to Karla because he trusted her. Lin also got a glimpse of Karla’s most vulnerable side. She discussed how her father’s suicide had devastated her childhood. Her father, who was a wealthy and ambitious man, was compelled to take his own life after suffering severe losses in bankruptcy. Karla blamed her current situation on her deceased father. She believed that if her father had actually loved her, he might not have killed himself. As a result of this tragedy, Karla could never love someone again. She did not want to experience any more suffering in her life. Therefore, she had turned her heart into a stone that could never be broken again. Even though Lin and Karla were getting closer, Karla avoided him and kept him away. Any relationship between Karla and Lin Ford would not be advantageous for Lin’s future because Karla was aware that Khader Bhai had his eye on him. She couldn’t simply walk away from Khader or abandon Lin. Karla, therefore, restrained all of her emotions and refrained from falling in love with Lin.
Episode 5 of “Shantaram” has become a more serene and romantic one. Karla’s conflicting signals had caused Lin to become constantly perplexed, which is both fascinating and scary. Episode to episode, Khader Bhai’s personality is changing, which surprised us and raised our expectations for the upcoming episode. It is still unknown what Khader intends to do with Lin, but it seems that he is planning to gain Lin’s support to take control over Sagar Wada. On top of that, Lin would undoubtedly struggle in upcoming episodes to protect his identity since Kavitha had already discovered that Lin was using a dead man’s passport. But it’s still unclear how Khader will persuade Lin, who wants to escape the grip of the underworld. It’s worth the wait for the forthcoming episodes to reveal the mystery of Lin’s destiny.
See More: ‘Shantaram’ Episode 6: Recap And Ending, Explained – Why Did Karla Seek Help From Abdullah?
