At a time when India-Pakistan ties are fraught with tension, Kaafir is not an easy story to tell. But writer Bhavani Iyer was resolute in her decision to bring the true story — of Shehnaz who hailed from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir but was put behind bars in India after being suspected of being a militant — to the screen.

"I don't know if she has watched the show, but the Shehnaz I knew 14 years ago, left me moved," begins Iyer.