India, Feb. 25 -- DRC Cinemas has been my only film destination in city ever since it opened its door in the year 2011. Two reasons: Owners are friendly, one phone call seats are reserved (!) and during the interval DRC's famous stomach-filling samosa and hot coffee arrive at my seat as by magic. And, one more decisive reason is I am briefed when a good movie is screened.

That's how I went to see the Hindi film 'Chhaava' (Lion Cub in Marathi) a few days back. However, there was also a special compelling reason for me to see the film, samosa or no samosa. That was the book 'Sword of Shivaji' I wrote in 2021 to pass time during the dark, dim, desperate days of the COVID-19 pandemic. I studied a couple of books on Shivaji, the Maratha warri...