The Crossword Book Award recognizes and rewards the best of Indian writing and ensures that works of merit reach a wider audience. It is the only Indian award that not only rewards good writing but also actively promotes the authors and their books.

We had been commissioned to “perform" excerpts from the nominated books in the categories of fiction and non-fiction. It was our responsibility to read the texts, find suitable excerpts and enact staged readings of our selections on awards night for the audience. With nominees like Vikram Seth and Vikram Chandra we had to ensure that we captured the essence of their texts and the rhythm of their words.

Using a team of professional actors we used props and costumes, music and lighting to enhance each of the books. Where possible, as in the case of Vikram Chandra's Sacred Games, we were able to play with multiple actors, so the words came alive almost like a play, without taking away the beauty of his narrative.

Director: Rajit Kapur
Light Design: Nadir Khan
The Cast: Atul Kulkarni, Sachin Khedekar, Rajit Kapur, Sohrab Ardeshir, Radhika Mital and Kunaal Roy Kapoor.

"While noted television and film actors Sachin Khedekar and Atul Kulkarni did a spirited enactment and had the audience in splits with their take on Chandra's lead characters, the evening's MC and actor Rajit Kapur wowed the audience by playing out a moving excerpt from Seth's Two Lives."
— Piyush Roy, Indian Express