His role as market-stall trader Sanjay Kapoor in long-running BBC One soap opera EastEnders brought him to the attention of UK mainstream viewers.
[2] During his time on the show, Verma's character was central to many explosive storylines, including the breakdown of his marriage to Gita (Shobu Kapoor), caused by his extramarital affair with her sister, as well as being falsely accused of her suspected murder.
That led to a BBC Radio 4 commission to write a play based on the life of India's most famous bandit, Phoolan Devi, 'Bandit Queen'.
Deepak won an award for achievement for his contribution to the arts, presented by Keith Vaz MP at the House of Commons in 1997.
Verma was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to the arts.