Sumith Prasad
The twelfth episode of Apple TV+’s drama series ‘Shantaram’ follows Lindsay “Linbaba” Ford, who sets out to rescue Karla Saaranen and Lisa Carter from the custody of Madame Zhou. After rescuing the love of his life, Lin asks Karla to join him to leave Bombay as a gang war startles the Indian city. Lin, who wants to escape from the Australian detective Wally Nightingale, persuades Karla to escape from the region. The final episode of the season ends with Karla making a significant decision concerning her future. If you are intrigued about the same, here’s what we can share! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Does Karla Leave Bombay?
In the eleventh episode of the show, Madame Zhou instigates Walid Shah to fight against Abdel Khader Khan AKA Khaderbhai for her safety. She also abducts Khaderbhai’s trusted associate Karla and her friend Lisa. Lin comes to know about the predicament and risks his own life to save Karla. He enters Zhou’s palace and deals with Zhou and Maurizio to save Karla and Lisa. Lin’s actions move Karla severely, who acknowledges her feelings for the Australian. After sharing intimacy with him, Karla makes it clear that she is open to joining him to leave Bombay.
At the end of the episode, Karla awaits Lin at the railway station to board a train and leave Bombay. Lin arrives at the railway station, only to get captured by the police officers at the platform, without Karla witnessing the same. Since one of the final shots of the episode depicts Karla on a running train, it is evident that she has boarded the same to leave the city. However, she may haven’t gone for good from Bombay. Karla decides to leave Bombay only because of Lin, who makes her wish for a life away from the city with him. When he fails to join her, Karla must be feeling that he abandoned her, likely killing any hope she has to lead a life elsewhere.
Karla arrives in Bombay after the death of her father. She has always believed that he “abandoned” her by killing himself. She decides to stay in Bombay because of Khaderbhai, who becomes a father figure for her. Since Lin unintentionally abandons her, Karla may start to think that she should return to Khaderbhai, who has always been there for her even when others left or disappeared. Thus, her departure from Bombay can be temporary and she most likely will return to the city once she realizes that Lin didn’t abandon her.
Did Antonia Desplat Leave Shantaram?
Although Apple TV+ hasn’t yet formally announced the renewal of ‘Shantaram’ for the second season, the first season ends with a text that reads, “to be continued,” indicating that the sophomore round will materialize. Therefore, the admirers of the show must be wondering whether Karla’s departure from Bombay necessarily means Antonia Desplat’s exit from the show. However, neither the streaming platform nor Desplat has announced the departure of the actress from the show. After the announcement of the renewal of the show, we can expect a confirmation regarding Desplat’s commitment to the drama series.
Since Karla’s return to Bombay after her departure is indeed a possibility, we can expect Desplat to return to the second season of the show once it gets formally greenlit. The character Karla features throughout Gregory David Roberts’ eponymous source novel of the show, which indicates that the character’s arc most likely isn’t concluded yet. In the novel, Karla returns to Lin’s life with a boyfriend, astounding the Australian. When the second season of the show materializes, we may see Karla accepting that Lin isn’t a reliable partner, which will lead her to choose a different pathway of life for her future, away from the Australian.
Read More: Is Shantaram’s Kavita Based on a Real Journalist?
