Sheesh Mahal (1950)

An ageing Thakur lives in his ancestral "palace of mirrors" as though nothing has changed, though his fortune is long gone and debts are closing in. His pride in his lineage governs every decision, including the futures of his family, and the gap between appearances and reality grows harder to hide. Sohrab Modi, the great actor-director of Pukar and Sikandar, famous for his booming dialogue delivery, directs and plays the Thakur himself, with Naseem Banu among the cast. Made just after Independence, as the old princely and feudal order was giving way, the film is a portrait of a class that cannot accept its time has passed. Vasant Desai composed the music.