Prithvi Vallabh (1943)

King Munj of Malwa, poet, warrior and lover of life, is defeated and captured by his rival Tailap. Tailap's widowed sister Mrinalvati, who rules the court with iron discipline and contempt for pleasure, sets out to humble the captive king. Instead, the clash between his warmth and her austerity becomes a slow-burning love, and her change of heart puts loyalty, pride and politics at stake. Sohrab Modi made the film for his Minerva Movietone company, whose costume dramas such as Pukar and Sikandar made his booming dialogue delivery famous, and he plays Munj himself opposite Durga Khote. It is based on the Gujarati novel Prithivi Vallabh by K. M. Munshi, which had also been filmed in the silent era.