Is 'Shantaram' Based on a True Story? Why the Truth Is Blurry

Shantaram, Apple TV+'s latest drama, follows a man named Lin Ford who escapes from prison and travels to Bombay where he hopes to run away from his past.

Set in the 1980s, the show sees Charlie Hunnam portray Lin, and viewers will no doubt wonder how much of the story that unfolds is true. Here is everything you need to know.

Is 'Shantaram' Based on a True Story? Why the Truth Is Blurry

Shantaram is based on the novel of the same name by the Australian author Gregory David Roberts. While the book is a work of fiction, it is based on a lot of real events that happened in the author's life.

Like Hunnam's character in Shantaram, Roberts really did break out of an Australian prison, for example.

During the '70s, the author became a heroin addict following the breakdown of his marriage, which saw him lose custody of his daughter. He turned to crime in order to fuel his drug habit, robbing banks and becoming known as the "building society bandit."

In 1978, Roberts was sentenced to 23 years in prison after pleading guilty to 24 charges of armed robbery and two counts of attempted armed robbery. He was sent to Melbourne's Pentridge Prison to serve his sentence. But in 1980, Roberts escaped.

In an interview with The Independent, Roberts said of his breakout from prison: "If you're planning an escape, you look for the place that's least protected. They thought no one would be crazy enough to escape over the front wall."

The author then traveled to Bombay (now known as Mumbai) on a forged passport. He originally planned to use the city as a stop-off point during a trip to Germany but instead ended up living in India for eight years, according to the publication.

Roberts spent 18 months of his stay living in the slums of the city, and at one point he even acted as a doctor for those living there who didn't have access to another medical professional. He then went on to become involved in organized crime, a part of his life that he used as inspiration for Shantaram.

Roberts told the publication: "That's a reflection of the life I was in. While I was committing crimes with a branch of the South Bombay mafia, I found that gangsters are very superstitious.

"They'd say to me, 'I just met this holy man up in the hills and he gave me an amulet to protect me from bullets.' I'd get on my bike and go and find these different holy people, bring them hash and fruit, and from each one gain some little insight."

Roberts was captured in Frankfurt in 1990. He was then extradited to Australia where he served six years in prison, two of which saw him be kept in solitary confinement. It was during this period in jail that Roberts began writing Shantaram.

Despite the fact Shantaram takes inspiration from Roberts' life, the book itself is a work of fiction. The author has previously clarified that it is not an autobiography.

Shantaram premieres with its first three episodes on Apple TV+ on Friday and will be released on a weekly basis thereafter.