The interview with Deepak Verma was brought forward by an hour because he had to go for a meeting with top British film-maker Nik Powell, the man who made The Crying Game and Little Voice. Clearly the actor, who played market stallholder Sanjay in BBC's EastEnders for six years, is moving in different circles these days.

He'll tell you that going from drama school into the Albert Square soap when he was just 23 was a dream come true. Not because he'd always wanted to prop up the bar of the Queen Vic, but because "in one fell swoop I have achieved what I want". And he lists exactly what he means: "I have status as an actor, financial security and creative control."

The six years he spent in the soap were the years during which an actor, producer or writer - and he classes himself as all three - lays the foundation for the rest of his career. He wanted to do films and TV, and is using the strength of being in a high-profile TV show to achieve that.

"I enjoyed EastEnders when I was doing it," he says. "I was always writing when I was there. I had my laptop and was doing something. I don't just want to write. I want to meet people and produce, know what's going on and be in control. I want my company to be a player in the industry."

Three years ago he set up Pukkanasha Films to develop projects for the screen and currently is producing their first feature film Johnny Bollywood, in which he'll star as an arrogant Bollywood movie star who goes on a humbling journey through life. The movie will be shot both in this country and India.

Before that, he's helping launch his play Ghostdancing on a national tour, that includes a stopover in Newcastle this month. He's transposed Emile Zola's classic novel of adultery and murder to a small town in present day Punjab.

"When I read the novel I thought it was one of the most fascinating and economical I have ever read," says Verma. "I felt the story of the characters was so strong and the parallels between 19th Century France and places in India, especially Punjab, were quite similar. So I wanted to explore that and bring to the forefront the whole notion of sexual repression, where women are expected to do certain things in the house and basically be servants and not part of the world."

The production comes from Tamasha Theatre Company, which produced East Is East on stage, and he hopes this could be the start of a long-term association with them. "It's nice to be able to do theatre because it gets to the core of things," he says.

His schedule dictated that he handed over the script to director Kristine Landon-Smith and trusted her with it. This is in contrast to projects involving his production company, over which he wants complete control.

He's been writing for longer than he's been acting. His first play, Pool Of Tranquillity, was selected in the finals of the Royal Court Young People's Festival in 1992. That led to a Radio 4 commission to write a play based on the life of India's most famous bandit, Phoolan Devi. He's since penned plays for Radio 4, the BBC World Service and a play read at the Kings Head, Islington.

"I've always written - it's essential for me to be creative rather than interpretive, and actors are interpretive artists," he says. "If more actors wrote, I think we would have better work out there."

He says Johnny Bollywood is a jaunt, a romantic comedy, an enjoyable film. "There are far too many people doing worthy stuff," he suggests. "That's fine but I want to go out and enjoy something. I like fights and car chases and things like that."

The film is being made with a mainstream audience in mind, both in this country and in India.

He hasn't missed acting since leaving EastEnders because he's been actively creating his own work.

After turning down TV work, he's finally making his first post-Sanjay appearance in BBC1's hospital series Holby City in a few weeks time.

"It's a nice part and Madhur Jaffrey plays my mum," he says. "I liked the script and thought it was a high-enough profile show to be in."

* Ghostdancing is at the Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle, from November 21-24 at 8pm. Tickets 0191-230 5151.

Published: 16/11/2001