Textbook history is quite different from what really transpired during the journey of a country. Eight Kings, the story of the men who ruled Delhi during the time of the sufi saint Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya, is full of violence, sex and dangerous liaisons.

The Mughal period from the rule of Babur to Bahadur Shah Zafar is abundantly documented; the play, written and directed by Vikramjeet Sinha, is about Delhi rulers who are not as well known. In a one-man show, Farhad Colabavala plays all the kings, as well the great Moroccan traveller and chronicler Ibn Battuta, and a fakir who narrates the story.