“Shantaram” Episode 7 opens in the slums of Sagar Wada, where inhabitants are suffering from a cholera outbreak. In the last episode, we saw Parvathi lose consciousness, as she might have been suffering from cholera as well. Prabhu eventually called Lin, but Lin was now busy saving one of the slum dwellers, Jitendra. Meanwhile, Parvathi was also ill, but not as badly as Jitendra, so Lin chose to nurse him first. Lin recognized that a sickness like cholera could not be treated by a paramedic like him; it required a proper doctor. But convincing the slum dwellers of Sagar Wada about the catastrophe is pointless. Lin had no choice but to intervene since he couldn’t stand by and watch the slum people perish in front of his eyes. Thus, fighting the cholera outbreak and educating people about it became his major struggle in “Shantaram,” Episode 7.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Cholera Hit The Slum?
Lin couldn’t see Parvathi in so much pain, and so he approached Qasim to explain that these were all indicators of cholera, and that treatment was urgently needed. In response, Qasim assured Lin that cholera had already hit the slums several times before and that there was no need to be concerned. Instead, they decided that every slum inhabitant should clean their clothes and belongings and boil water. The slum dwellers began to work as per instructions, and Lin assisted them as much as he could. Prabhu persistently sought Parvathi’s presence, but her parents refused to let him approach her. Lin and Qasim checked the slum’s water tank and discovered that the water had gotten muddy due to rain or a storm. Lin reminded Qasim once again that these slum residents needed to be treated by a qualified doctor. Qasim responded by assuring Lin that they were delighted to have Lin as a “jugaad,” or replacement doctor. Qasim cheerfully explained that they had fought cholera every year. Lin didn’t try to persuade Qasim or anybody else of this. He noted that the dwellings in the slums were hand-printed by a youngster, which was most likely a symbol of good fortune for them. A young child’s handprint may not rescue them from cholera, but it will improve their spirits. Even if all of this seems silly to Lin, he did not harm anyone’s faith but rather strengthened it.
Who Was Sunita? What Happened To Her?
Meanwhile, Minister Pandey spent his private time in Khandala’s house with his mistress, Sunita, a sex worker. Sunita requested that Pandey make her his assistant, but Pandey claimed he would only do so if he moved to Canada. Sunita said that because Pandey worked for Walid, there was no way he could leave the country. Pandey secretly brought her back from Khandala to Mumbai’s Kamathipura. Khader’s henchman spotted them and followed them all the way to Kamathipura to learn about Sunita’s profession. The henchman gathered all of the information and told Khader Bhai, who later discussed everything with Abdullah and Karla. They concluded that if Walid Bhai found out that Pandey was covertly seeing a sex worker, Walid would not hesitate to murder the prostitute. So, Karla said that they would have to keep the girl safe before using her against Pandey. In this regard, Abdullah proposed that the finest location would be Madame Zhou’s palace, but Karla disagreed. When Lisa was at the palace to find out about Ruzul (“Shantaram” Episode 1), she was tortured there, and even Ruzul was killed for his betrayal whose brutal death had traumatized Karla since then. This terrified Karla every time she thought about Sunita and what might happen to her if she stayed in the palace of Madame Zhou. Karla still remained silent, knowing that no one could change Khader Bhai and Abdullah’s decision. Thus, Khader picked Zhou’s Palace as the ideal spot to keep the girl safe.
Madame Zhou, on the other hand, wanted to know from Maurizio how secretive their brown sugar business was. Maurizio informed her that only Lisa and Modena were aware of the deal. But we know Lisa, Karla, and Didier were all aware of his business since he openly flaunted his money and dealt with his customers at Reynaldo. When Khader Bhai’s car came in front of Zhou’s palace after Maurizio had left, Zhou was concerned that Khader had learned about their business. But fortunately not, as Khader eventually arrived to make another offer to Zhou. Khader also brought Karla with him. Karla had unintentionally entered Zhou’s palace. Khader ordered Zhou to bring Sunita from Kamathipura to her palace. Zhou couldn’t ask further questions as she was terrified of Khader Bhai and did not want to be victimized and killed by him. But she was desperate enough to make her own mark in Bombay and become successful; therefore, she had to survive at any cost. She suggested Khader bring other sex workers besides Sunita from Kamathipura because that would be safe for them. After Khader consented to her proposal, Zhou sent her loyalist Padma to Kamathipura. Khader and Abdullah left, leaving Karla at the palace, so Zhou didn’t try to betray Khader again.
Zhou keenly inquired Karla about her relationship with Khader. Karla responded by saying that they were loyal to each other in the same way that Padma was to Zhou. Zhou talked about Ruzul and how Karla was indirectly behind his death; in response to that, Karla stated that she didn’t kill Ruzul. Zhou said that she didn’t kill Ahmed either. Ahmed might be Karla’s friend or lover, as Zhou mentioned or he might have been used like a pawn in their dirty game and later got killed, which terrified Karla because the same could happen to Lin as well. Zhou was someone Karla could not tolerate because she just hated her. Sunita and two other prostitutes from the Kamathipura brothel were brought to the palace by Padma. Sunita was kept in Madame Zhou’s Kotha as if she were a prisoner. Seeing her in this situation, Karla was disappointed; after all, Karla still possessed some humanity. She didn’t want Khader or Zhou to torture Sunita or anyone else. As Karla was upset about the situation, Zhou reminded her of her position in the underworld of Bombay, saying that she worked for no one but herself. So, it was Karla who did not know where to run from all of this. Even more than Sunita, Karla was chained by the shackles.
What Happened To Maurizio?
Previously in “Shantaram,” Episode 6, we saw the black man, Rahim, asking to spend a night with Lisa, which Lisa approved. Meanwhile, when Lisa and Modena got close to each other, Modena wondered about her lack of concern for the situation. So, Lisa told him that she wanted Modena to say “no” to Maurizio on her behalf, but he didn’t. Therefore, Lisa decided to work only to earn money. She took Modena with her to Rahim’s hotel room. While Modena waited outside, Lisa was reluctantly forced to spend the night with this stranger.
Abdullah, on the other hand, came to Reynaldo and threatened Maurizio to stop his brown-sugar business. Previously (“Shantaram,” Episode 6), we saw Karla requesting Abdullah to take care of Maurizio’s business, so he subtly made a threat to him without involving Khader Bhai, because he was already busy with other schemes on his mind. However, if Khader in any way found out about Zhou and Maurizio’s secretive trade, he would not hesitate to kill the two of them.
‘Shantaram’ Episode 7: Ending Explained – How Did Lin Save The Slum People From Cholera?
When Jitendra passed away from cholera in the Sagar Wada slum, Lin lost control of himself. He believed he would simply have to see one death after another if he did nothing. He, therefore, had to break his promise to Qasim and ask Khader Bhai for assistance. He requested clean water from Khader so that he might have the chance to save the people of the slum. Due to Indian culture, Khader was unable to deny the request for a drink of water. However, his one condition was that he would help the slum dwellers if they would accept the help voluntarily. As promised to Lin, Khader showed up the following morning in the slum of Sagar-Wada with a truck full of clean water. Every slum person embraced Khader’s help and began praising him. Khader reminded them that, nevertheless, now that he was helping them in their need, there would come a day when they would have to help Khader. Qasim realized that Khader was helping the slum dwellers with a certain scheme in his mind that may put the slum in greater danger if it does not repay the debt. Lin knew Qasim might consider him a traitor, but the lives of the slum dwellers were too precious to him. Lin thanked Khader Bhai, but it was Khader who was grateful to Lin. He won the hearts of the slum dwellers through Lin so that it would be convenient for him to conquer Sagar Wada later on. Prabhu was happy with Lin’s work as Parvathi finally overcame her illness. Lin may have involved himself and the slum dwellers in a much bigger or more dangerous scheme but saving people’s lives eased his guilt a little bit.
Final Words
“Shantaram” is slowly losing its charm as the presentation is monotonous, and Lin’s conflicts are starting to feel repetitive. However, in the next episode, we hope to see something thrilling that will keep us hooked. Either Kavitha or Khader Bhai will become the biggest threat in Lin’s life. Hence, “Shantaram” still has a lot to offer that we are eagerly looking forward to.
See More: ‘Shantaram’ Episode 8: Recap & Ending, Explained: What Will Be The Fate Of Sagar-Wada?
