She loved the stories and asked to see the pictures
From the quiet ritual of bedtime storytelling shared between parents and a curious three-year-old, actors Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu have drawn a thread that now reaches toward the wider world. Their three-book picture series 'Inni and Bobo,' acquired by Penguin Random House India under its Puffin imprint, transforms the intimate language of family imagination — a child, a dog, a made-up tale — into a published meditation on empathy and friendship. It is a reminder that some of literature's most enduring impulses begin not in ambition, but in the simple act of answering a child's request for one more story.
- A bedtime ritual between parents and their daughter quietly outgrew the bedroom and found its way to one of the world's largest publishing houses.
- The couple's daughter Inaaya — whose love of animals and improvised stories seeded the entire project — now stands as the unlikely creative force behind a three-book deal.
- Kunal Kemmu crosses into entirely new territory as a debut author, while Soha Ali Khan returns to writing after her 2017 memoir, making this both a reunion with the page and a first arrival.
- Penguin Random House India's Puffin imprint is betting that 'Inni and Bobo' will transcend celebrity novelty and earn a lasting place on children's shelves when the first volume releases in 2022.
Actors Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu have signed a deal with Penguin Random House India to publish 'Inni and Bobo,' a three-book picture series about a young girl and her dog, with the first volume due in 2022 under the Puffin imprint.
The project was born entirely at home. Their daughter Inaaya, three years old and devoted to bedtime stories, would ask her parents to read aloud or invent tales on the spot — often centered on animals, and dogs in particular, perhaps shaped by the family's own pet, Masti. From these sessions emerged Inni, a girl loosely drawn from Inaaya herself, and Bobo, her canine companion. When Inaaya asked to see the characters illustrated, the couple recognized that their homemade stories had the shape of something larger.
The series is designed to guide young readers toward empathy and foundational life lessons through the bond between a child and her dog. For Soha, it marks a return to authorship following her 2017 memoir 'The Perils of Being Moderately Famous.' For Kunal, it is an entirely new role — his first time stepping forward as a writer.
Arpita Nath of Penguin Random House India described the books as 'endearing' and expressed confidence they would appeal to children, parents, and animal lovers alike. Whether the series builds a lasting franchise or remains a warmly received curiosity, it stands as a clear example of personal life becoming public literature — and of a child's imagination quietly setting something larger in motion.
Actors Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu have signed a deal with Penguin Random House India to publish a three-book picture series called "Inni and Bobo," a story centered on a child discovering friendship through dog adoption. The first volume is scheduled for release in 2022, published under Penguin's Puffin imprint, which specializes in children's literature.
The genesis of the project is rooted in the couple's home life with their three-year-old daughter, Inaaya Naumi Kemmu. The child has a particular fondness for bedtime storytelling—sometimes asking one of her parents to read aloud while she studies the illustrations, other times requesting they improvise tales on the spot, letting her choose the characters and settings. Many of these invented narratives center on animals, a subject that captivates her across the board, though dogs hold special appeal, likely influenced by the family's own pet, Masti.
Out of these domestic storytelling sessions emerged the character of Inni, a young girl loosely inspired by Inaaya herself, paired with Bobo, a canine companion. The couple began crafting these tales for their daughter, and when she asked to see them illustrated, they recognized an opportunity to transform their homemade narratives into a publishable work. The resulting series aims to teach young readers about empathy and other foundational life lessons through the lens of a child and her relationship with a dog.
For Soha, this project marks a return to authorship. She published a memoir titled "The Perils of Being Moderately Famous" in 2017, offering her own reflections on life in the public eye. Kunal, by contrast, is stepping into the role of author for the first time, making this collaboration both a creative partnership and a professional milestone for him.
Arpita Nath, an associate commissioning editor at Penguin Random House India, expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition, describing the picture books as "endearing" and predicting they would appeal not only to children but also to their guardians and anyone drawn to stories about animals. She welcomed Kunal formally into the Penguin Random House family as a debut author and expressed confidence that the illustrated volumes would become fixtures on young readers' shelves.
The series represents a convergence of celebrity, parenting, and children's literature—a space where personal experience becomes public product. Whether the books will resonate beyond the novelty of their authors' fame remains to be seen, but the project itself reflects a growing trend of public figures channeling their domestic lives into content for younger audiences.
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One of Inaaya's favourite things to do is story time—either she'll bring a book to one of us and ask us to read it to her whilst she looks at the pictures, or as she says 'from your mouth' where she chooses the characters and the setting and we make up the story for her.— Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu, in a joint statement
I am absolutely thrilled that Soha and Kunal's beautiful picture books have found a home at Puffin. I hope these gorgeously illustrated picture books find a special place on every young reader's bookshelf.— Arpita Nath, associate commissioning editor, Penguin Random House India
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
What made them decide to actually publish these stories instead of keeping them as something just for Inaaya?
I think there's a moment every parent reaches where a child says something so good, or a story lands so perfectly, that you realize it might matter to other kids too. They had something that worked—their daughter loved it, asked for pictures—and that's when the idea shifted from private ritual to something shareable.
Do you think the fact that they're famous changes what this book will be, or how it will be received?
It definitely opens doors. Penguin Random House wouldn't have signed them without the platform. But there's a real risk that people pick it up for the wrong reasons—curiosity about the celebrity couple rather than genuine interest in the story. The book has to stand on its own merit, or it becomes a novelty.
The series is about adopting dogs. Is that a statement they're making, or just what happened to emerge from their daughter's imagination?
Both, probably. Kids don't think in statements—they just love what they love. But when you decide to publish a story about adoption, you're making a choice about what message matters. It's not accidental that this is the story they wanted the world to read.
Kunal's never written a book before. Does that feel risky for a major publisher?
Less risky than it might seem. He's not writing alone—Soha has done this before. And honestly, the bar for a children's picture book isn't the same as literary fiction. The illustrations carry enormous weight. If the art is strong and the story is genuine, the author's inexperience almost doesn't matter.
What do you think happens after book one comes out?
That depends entirely on whether kids actually want to read it. If it sells well and parents respond, you'll see more books, maybe merchandise, maybe a whole franchise. If it's a one-off curiosity, it disappears. The real test isn't the announcement—it's what happens when real readers get their hands on it.