“So excited to finally share this news!!"
Actress Radhika Apte is set to regularly star alongside Moulin Rouge actor Richard Roxburgh in Apple’s upcoming drama series, Shantaram. The cast will be led by Pacific Rim actor Charlie Hunnam.
The show is an adaptation of Gregory David Roberts’ renowned novel of the same name and is written by Eric Warren Singer.
According to Deadline, Shantaram follows the story of a supposed fugitive:
“Lin (Hunnam), a man on the run from an Australian prison looking to get lost in the teeming city of Bombay. Cut off from family and friends by distance and fate, he finds a new life in the slums, bars and underworld of India.”
Radhika Apte will portray the role of Kavita, an Indian journalist searching for answers.
She took to Instagram to share her delight with her millions of fans. Radhika posted:
“So excited to finally share this news!! #shantaram #kavita.”
Her fans were quick to congratulate the actress on her role in Shantaram.
Her co-star Richard Roxburgh will play Detective Sergeant Marty Nightingalem, an Australian Federal Police officer.
Justin Kurzel will be directing the first two instalments of Shantaram which will span across ten episodes.
The drama series will be shot in Australia and India during October and November, 2019, respectively. Production is expected to begin with a $5 million tax incentive from the Australian government.
The chosen location in India is Bhopal. There are two main reasons for this choice. Firstly, Bhopal successfully encapsulates the skyline of 1970s Bombay.
Secondly, the clean air and water supply was a major factor and Bhopal passed this requirement.
This is not the first time this area has been chosen as a location. Rangbaaz 2 (2019) and Chargesheet (2020) have also been shot in Bhopal.
In addition, slum areas of Bombay will be built in Bhopal. In this instance, small shops, houses and narrow streets are being prepared.
On the work front, Radhika has a broad range of projects under her belt.
Previously, she has appeared in films such as Padman (2018), Andhadhun (2018), Netflix series Lust Stories (2018) and Ghoul (2018).
Radhika Apte was last seen in Baazar (2018) alongside Saif Ali Khan and Rohan Vinod Mehra.
The bestselling book Shantaram has been published in 39 languages in 42 territories across the globe with 6 million copies sold.
We look forward to seeing Radhika Apte in the drama series, Shantaram and can’t wait to see her in the avatar of Kavita.