Hamlet (1954)

The king is dead, and his brother has taken both the throne and the queen. Prince Hamlet, sunk in grief and disgust, is visited by his father's ghost, who reveals that he was murdered, and the prince must decide whether to believe it and how to avenge it, all while feigning madness and pushing away the gentle Ophelia. This 1954 Hindi version of Shakespeare's tragedy was directed by Kishore Sahu, who also played the Danish prince, and it is one of the earliest full screen adaptations of Hamlet in India. A young Mala Sinha plays Ophelia, in one of her first major roles. It is a rare, theatrical piece of 1950s cinema for anyone interested in Shakespeare on the Indian screen.