Despite Dale's and other people in the slum's best efforts, the fire ultimately isn't able to be controlled at the start of Shantaram episode 3. Sagarwada is burning. Once it is brought under control - just barely - Dale involves himself in the rescue process and provides medical aid to those who were injured. Qasim, someone who is seen as the leader of the people, laments the lack of money and isn't able to arrange for professional help in attending to the injured. The next few minutes are quite tragic for Dale, personally, and the viewers as well. We see the demise of Lakshmi right in front of us. None of the bystanders, including Dale, are able to provide the right kind of help to her. The Aussie is burdened by the incident and feels partly responsible for putting the people in this position. We finally see how he was caught in the robbery. The police were only able to apprehend him as Charlie escaped because of Dale's compassion in trying to help the policeman Charlie had shot. Ideally, he should have run off with him, but like with the fire, his conscience pulled him back and at least try. And that got him caught. He still didn't take Charlie's name and it takes a big man to be able to do that. Dale's angelic intervention in the people's lives continues as people queue up outside Prabhu's tent to seek help. Dale uses the entirety of the money Karla gave him to provide for supplies. You'd probably think that Dale would be butchered after what he did. It was indeed his mistake, indirect as the case may be, that so many people lost their lives and their only tangible means of housing. But in the spirit of the wonderful culture, the story is based on, he is forgiven. For that is the hallmark of our people. Shantaram, the novel, features many such occasions when the people came together to protect those that looked different than them. It is indeed heartening to see the kindness and compassion brought to the screen with a deftness and sensibility often lost in foreign representations. Writers have continued to allow Dale to redeem himself in the eyes of the viewers. Even though he hadn't done too much wrong, except in the last episode with the fire, it is nice to have a clean, morally upright protagonist not looking to take the nefarious way out. It is said in Indian culture that the more good you do, the more your karma builds up. That is what is happening with Dale. Things are looking better for him. But the rivalry between Khaderbhai and Walid is just beginning to pick up. It will probably dictate the terms going forward, however, the writers must endeavour to sustain character development that has been good till now.
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