In 2015, novelist Pankaj Dubey received a call from a Sydney-based journalist seeking his comments on the sudden announcement of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge being pulled out from Maratha Mandir at the end of 1,009 unprecedented weeks. "For most people of Indian origin, Bollywood is a fascinating topic, no matter which part of the world they are in. While there was a massive outcry here, people there were curious to know more. It's a different matter that I had nothing to do with the film," he laughs.

Pankaj Dubey. Pic/Satej Shinde