Deepti Naval just refuses to be compartmentalized. She’s the actress with a penchant for unconventional roles, the director who stood by her vision, and the artist whose sensitive brushstrokes have painted many a poignant picture.

And now, she’s painting pictures with her ostensibly morbid, yet strikingly “real” verse. Deepti’s first book of poems in English, Black Wind and Other Poems was released at the quaint Corner Bookstore at Prithvi Theatre on Monday evening. Quipped Naseeruddin Shah at the book launch, “It’s funny that I’ve been asked to introduce Deepti, considering that I’ve never really been ‘introduce’ to her myself. I remember her as this 'apparition' that walked into Shyam Benegal’s office about 20 years ago…”

After the Katha and Mirch Masala co-stars took a quick trip down memory lane, they proceeded to read out selected poems that stemmed from the experiences Deepti “went through and survived during the early 90’s.” While the first section Black Wind “is about life in general,” the second, titled The Silent Scream is a collection of poems written about the women she witinessed in the women's ward of a mental institution.