Sumith Prasad
Apple TV+’s drama series ‘Shantaram’ follows Lindsay Ford AKA Lin, an Australian robber who arrives in the Indian city of Bombay upon escaping from prison. Right after stepping into the city, Lin encounters Prabhu, a local guide who helps him with anything and everything. The two of them get closer when Lin starts to live with Prabhu in Sagar Wada. During his stay at the place, the Australian witnesses Prabhu’s feelings for Parvati, who runs a tea stall in the slum with her mother. Since the second and third episodes of the show follow Prabhu’s attempts to spend time with her, we have found out whether they end up together. Let us share what we know! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Prabhu and Parvati: A Love Story Full of Obstacles
Prabhu loves Parvati with all his heart. Whenever he goes to her mother’s tea stall, he tries to find a way to talk to her. However, her mother’s constant presence and surveillance of Parvati make it hard for Prabhu to spend some time with her. He reveals his love for her to Lin, who also tries to help his friend by telling her that Prabhu is the man behind the clinic he has set up at Sagar Wada. An impressed Parvati looks at Prabhu in awe, igniting flames of love in him. But do they end up together? Gregory David Roberts’ eponymous source novel offers us the answer.
In Gregory David Roberts’ book, Prabaker, the novel counterpart of Prabhu, and Parvati do end up together. While Lin stays in Sagar Wada, the slum-dwellers get affected by cholera and they struggle with diarrhea and vomiting. Like several others, Parvati also gets sick with diarrhea and vomiting. Without even worrying about his own health during a troubled time, Prabaker takes care of her. Even after Parvati survives her sickness, Prabaker makes sure that he is around for the love of his life. For two weeks, he nurses her admirably. Separating from her isn’t even an option for Prabaker as he lived under a flap of plastic outside her home to be there for her if she needs anything.
Prabaker’s resilience to nurse Parvati and courage to deal with the cholera outbreak not only proves his worth as a person but also shows his love for the latter. Prabaker doesn’t think twice about protecting Parvati even when his life is under threat. Such a commendable display of affection paves the way for their union. Lin gets surprised one day when Prabaker lets him know that he is marrying Parvati. His parents, Kishan and Rukhmabai, arrive in the city from their village to bless the couple as well. However, their union doesn’t last long.
On a particular night, Prabaker gets into an accident while traveling to the airport upon getting hired by a father and daughter. A cart filled with steel hits his taxi car, killing the two passengers right away. Prabaker gets badly injured and eventually succumbs to death after fighting to live in a hospital for a few days. His untimely death pushes Parvati to widowhood. Although his wish to unite with her materializes, he fails to cherish the goodness and warmth of that union for a long time. Still, Prabaker doesn’t leave behind Parvati alone.
Parvati eventually gives birth to her and Prabaker’s son, who possesses his father’s smile and face. Lin meets them when he visits Prabaker’s parents. Although he has to endure the sight of seeing Parvati in white clothes, which announces the death of his admirable friend and her beloved husband, Lin must have found relief in the realization that Prabaker left the material world upon fulfilling his dreams.
