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Shantaram is a novel of epic proportions written by Gregory David Roberts. It tells the story of his break from a Melbourne prison in Australia and escape to New Zealand followed by India where much of the novel is set. In India he lives in the slums of Bombay and opens a medal clinic. After a harrowing experience of getting caught and spending time in an Indian prison he becomes involved with the local mafia.

9th December 2007

Shantaram shelved? 10 replies

Can the rumors be true? Is Shantaram the movie going to be shelved?

According to this site Depp was asking too much to do the movie.

Depp loved the novel by Gregory Roberts. He even invited the author to visit him in London. Gregory Roberts did go and meet him. Everything was going fine until Depp quoted his price. All activity related to Shantaram came to a screeching halt after that.

10 Responses to “Shantaram shelved?”

  1. christina says:
    December 16th, 2007 at 8:47 pm

    That’s hard to believe considering he’s also producer. He’s probably only taking a back end deal.

  2. chandano fuller says:
    January 20th, 2008 at 6:13 am

    Can’t see Depp as Lindsey anyway. Perhaps someone like Tim Roth??? I ,personally, have had the experience of a westerner living in India and the book brought back many fond memories. The book was s love affair and the movie should be as well. It upsets me that, although this is the way films are made, money should enter into this.

  3. Rajive says:
    January 20th, 2008 at 5:32 pm

    I loved the book, can’t wait to see the film. How about Guy Pearce. He’s an Aussi and a powerful actor too.

  4. Kathie says:
    January 21st, 2008 at 5:45 pm

    I also loved this book and will be very sad if the essence of India (so brilliantly portrayed) is lost in translation. Personally when I heard Depp was going to be involved it gave me hope. I think he would do a great job playing Lindsey. I just hope that whoever directs and gets this role truly understands all the wonderful insights into India that make this one of the best books I’ve read.

  5. Rohan says:
    January 26th, 2008 at 4:26 am

    According to imdb and wikipeidia the movie has been shelved on account of the writers guild of America strike

  6. Gerry says:
    February 5th, 2008 at 9:18 am

    WGA is an excuse. Shelved until Jan 09…due various reasons, not discussible here. Thats the word from the horse…

  7. Yolanda says:
    February 23rd, 2008 at 4:08 am

    I sincerely hope that all this is just that - TALK - and that the movie will be made. This book is something different and anyone who has been to India, especially Mumbai, can relate to the places visited by the author, or the lead character, Linsay. Lets hope Johnny has second thoughts and gets this mjovie off to a start

  8. Jacqueline says:
    March 1st, 2008 at 10:12 am

    Johnny Depp has answered this question directly during an interview, where he stated that production was on hold due to the writers guild strike. You can watch this interview on YouTube. Not sure about the guidelines regarding links here; you can type the words, “Johnny Depp Candid about Shantaram” in the search field on the YouTube homepage, and you should be able to view the interview for yourself.

  9. Bilkis says:
    March 1st, 2008 at 2:49 pm

    i love the book and think Johnny Depp is a brilliant choice for Linbaba…. i was, however, upset that Amitab Bachchan was selected to star in the film too…. i think hes way too commercial and totally the wrong choice!! a new actor or someone with a lower profile in Bollywood would have been a better choice!! for this reason, im actually glad the film might not go ahead… it would have ruined the book for me!

    x

  10. Saj Ebrahim says:
    April 22nd, 2008 at 1:07 am

    I too loved the book and was sad when it ended. Although I think Johnny Depp is a fantastic actor - I personally think that he does not fit the profile of Linbaba. I also agree that Amitabh Bhachan is the absolute wrong choice for the role of Kader Khan - he is too commercial and in every second movie these days. When I was reading the book then another Kader Khan came to mind as being the perfect actor for this role - the real life Bollywood actor - though maybe he is a little too old. As much as I loved the young Bachans movies - he will totally ruin Shantaram for me.

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