Here’s the CNN Talk Asia video that was posted about last week.

Shantaram author on Madonna

The slum

Leopold’s Cafe

Haji Ali Mosque

I hope you enjoy the videos, tell us in the comments what you thought!

The interview airs on CNN International on:

• June 17 at 2030
• June 18 at 1100
• June 20 at 1230 & 2230
• June 21 at 0430
• June 22 at 1000
• June 24 at 0130 HKT.

The full program can be available for online viewing after the program has aired, on www.cnn.com/talkasia.

We hope you enjoy the program with Gregory, and please let us know what you thought of it in the comments, or on the forum.

This will deeply sadden many fans of the book, who have patiently waited for news that the production was underway. It appears that Depp is more keen on using Mexico as a location, rather than Mumbai and India.

The good news is that Mira Nair is not budging on the location, insisting that the ambience of Mumbai’s dusty streets would not be recreated on sets. Some news sites are reporting on rumours that Nair is being removed from the project. It is worthwhile to note that this speculation cannot yet be confirmed, and we feel Mira is still the best candidate for director of this movie given her previously outstanding work.

Our opinion here on the Shantaram Forum is that if the movie goes ahead then it should be set as authentically as possible. Not only to aid the drama of the scenes, but to reveal more of the real India through the imagery set by the novel.

Source: spicezee news:

"Confirming the news, Irrfan Khan, who has been roped into play the role of a musician in the film, said, “From what I understand, Johnny Depp wasn’t too keen to come to India. Brad Pitt and he are good friends. What happened with Brand and Jolie in Mumbai scared him off, apparently".

What are your feelings on this? Let us know in the comments below, or head on over to the community to give us your thoughts

In other news

Head on over to this website to catch a picture of Gregory David Roberts having a copy of GQ mag signed by the eminent actor Irrfan Khan (Namesake)

The guide has a number of excelent sections, including a character list, analysis of chapters (organised into groups) a section dedicated to major themes and lastly, a few tests!

Now if that sounds interesting to you then head on over to this website to read through the various chapters of this guide. It is available to buy in PDF and hardcopy, should you want your own copy.

If you find anything you’d particularly like to discuss with other fans of the book, then come on over to our community forum and ask! We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions.

Enjoy! – The Shantaram Forum

The description from amazon.co.uk says this about the new novel:

A sequel to SHANTARAM but equally a standalone novel, The Mountain Shadow follows Lin on further adventures in shadowy worlds and cultures. It is a novel about seeking identity, love, meaning, purpose, home, even the secret of life…As the story begins, Lin has found happiness and love, but when he gets a call that a friend is in danger, he has no choice but to go to his aid, even though he knows that leaving this paradise puts everything at risk, including himself and his lover. When he arrives to fulfil his obligation, he enters a room with eight men: each will play a significant role in the story that follows. One will become a friend, one an enemy, one will try to kill Lin, one will be killed by another…Some characters appeared in Shantaram, others are introduced for the first time, including Navida Der, a half-Irish, half-Indian detective, and Edras, a philosopher with fundamental beliefs. Gregory David Roberts is an extraordinarily gifted writer whose stories are richly rewarding on many levels. Like Shantaram, The Mountain Shadow will be a compelling adventure story with a profound message at its heart.

We’d like to know if you are anticipating this new novel from Gregory, and if you are you can comment below, but don’t stop there -join our forum now and tell us what you thought about Shantaram.

Shantaram has been on the back burner for Director Mira Niar for some time now, and with the success of Slumdog it is expeted that Studio Chiefs will want to fast-track the Shantaram movie into production. The movie, set to star Johnny Depp as Lin, appears to have found it’s moment for both the Hollywood studios and the general movie-going public.

Favorite of Gregory David Roberts, bollywood composer A.R. Rahman picked up 2 Oscars for his music score in Slumdog. It is not known whether Rahman was to set the score for Shantaram, however his success with this film and Gregory’s fondness for his music may be the catalysts for him joining the Shantaram project.

What’s clear from this news is that movie goers are keen to see adaptions of thought provoking bestsellers projected on the silver screen, and if the success of Shantaram could be measured, then this is a strong indicator that the movie would do very well indeed.

Discuss this news with us on the Community Forum, and let us know what you thought of the book, or the film, and what’s to come for the Shantaram Movie and more.

You can find a video of Mira talking about this and the Shantaram film by heading over to the timesnow.tv website.

Her admission that the film is not shelved but expected to release is 2011 isn’t exactly news. Fans have assumed that the long delay probably put it somewhere in this time scale, but the statement from Mira Nair does confirm once again to fans of the book that the movie is still on the cards.

It is not known if Gregory David Roberts is set to release a sequel to the bestseller Shantaram in the intervening time.

Discuss this news in our Community Forum

“Had the terrorists come five hours earlier, I wouldn’t be here talking to you” says Gregory David Roberts

It’s a nice short article that you should head on over to read.

Thanks to our forum member mumbai_meri_jaan for catching this piece of news.

Discuss this in our forum

Head on over to his website, or see the full update here on the Shantaram Forum

If you want, you can head on over to our forums to discuss this event or Greg’s thoughtful response.