Accompanied by little else than background music and a solitary table on stage, his soulful readings of the adventures of Amma Bi - the protagonist of Dopehri - have left theatre enthusiasts mesmerised. Actor-director Pankaj Kapur turned novelist with the play getting a literary adaptation in 2019. The veteran inked the deal for English and Hindi adaptations with publishing house Harper Collins.

"Dopehri is not drawn from my experiences or based on anyone," says Kapur, who discovered his writing talent in the late '80s. "I have penned poems and written for television as well."