These lofty experiments though, are few and far apart. Largely, Grover's Tughlaq stays true to the text. "We knew we wouldn't run away from the words, but understand them and tackle them instead," he says. The result is a play that has a ring of naturalism without the larger-than-life treatment. "So, the chaupal turns into a newsroom," he explains.

Abhinav Grover as Tughlaq

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Grover attributes a lot of his methodology to veteran director Sunil Shanbag, who he worked with as an assistant director. "His classical realism approach inspired me and helped me deal with the greatest challenge — making a three-hour text move seamlessly on stage," he says.

After its premiere in September this year, Tughlaq is a shorter, tighter play with two new cast members - Sanket Aggarwal and Priyasha Bhardwaj. "The script also resonates more with the actors and we discover new things. For instance, the play is as much about the ruled as it is about the notorious ruler," he says. "It has also brought new questions to the fore that lay at the heart of the text — Is there such a thing as an ideal ruler? And even if there is, does that result in an ideal world?"

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