Arundhati Roy wrote and acted in the 1989 television film In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, directed by Pradip Krishen. The film was broadcast on Doordarshan late at night and received minimal promotion, fading into obscurity. Set at an architecture college in Delhi, the film follows final-year student Anand Grover (Arjun Raina) and explores the lives of unconventional students. Roy played Radha, a free-spirited student challenging social norms through art and assignments. According to Roy's 2025 memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me, she wrote the script in three weeks and presented it to a new Doordarshan chief who approved a modest budget. The cast included Rituraj Singh, Divya Seth, and Raghuvir Yadav, with cameo appearances from Manoj Bajpayee and Shah Rukh Khan.

Unlike contemporary television films that addressed serious social issues, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones focused on the ordinary, humorous aspects of college life. Dialogue mimicked authentic student conversations, blending Hindi and English with natural interruptions and unscripted-sounding exchanges about Marx, cigarette prices, table tennis, assignments, and romance—creating an unvarnished portrayal of hostel dynamics and youthful priorities.

Shah Rukh Khan appeared as "Senior" in two brief scenes, making cameo appearances while wearing a wig and speaking in a disguised voice, mostly gossiping about other students. This was his only film role where his character had no name and did not advance the narrative. Before his breakout film Deewana in 1992, Khan appeared in the television series Fauji (1989) and made guest appearances in Wagle Ki Duniya (1988) and Umeed (1989).

At the film's first screening at Max Mueller Bhavan in Delhi, Roy noted in her memoir that the audience immediately recognized themselves in the characters, languages, and humor, responding with laughter and applause. She described feeling "dazed" and "thrilled" by the recognition from viewers who saw their own reality reflected on screen.