Gulabo Sitabo

Mirza Nawab is a stingy old ghar jamai who treats Fatima Mahal as his property. He resents Begum’s hold over the house and openly plans to pass it to himself after her death. This sets the stage for a power struggle over the mansion in Lucknow.

Baankey, a poor tenant, disputes his long-overdue rent with Mirza. In a fit of anger, he kicks a toilet wall block, causing it to collapse. The incident escalates Mirza's harassment of Baankey and his family.

Angry at Mirza’s harassment, Baankey vows revenge. He begins to muster support to challenge Mirza’s grip on the mansion.

Archaeologist Gyanesh Shukla reveals the property's historic value and a government heritage plan to seize it. He explains that alternative housing could be provided to the tenants under the plan. This marks the first major shift toward a government takeover of Fatima Mahal.

Baankey sees an opportunity in the plan and backs Gyanesh's motives to transfer ownership away from Mirza. He aligns with the archaeologist to challenge Mirza's grip on the mansion.

Mirza hires Christopher Clarke, a local lawyer, to maneuver the inheritance and secure the mansion for himself after Begum's death. He hopes to evict the tenants and claim the property for himself.

Mirza secretly gets Begum's fingerprints from a sleeping Begum, hoping to use them to formalize ownership. The prints turn out to be from the wrong hand, and Christopher grows frustrated. He decides to forge the prints to keep the scheme intact.

Christopher introduces Munmun Singh, a wealthy builder-developer, who is ready to buy and demolish Fatima Mahal to build a modern housing complex. He promises a lucrative lump sum for Mirza and the tenants.

Munmun and the developers present their plan with a suitcase full of money. Mirza proclaims that all the money is his, sparking further tension with the tenants who expected compensation.

Gyanesh's schemes to evict the tenants escalate, and the tenants realize the promised alternative housing is false. Protests and disputes erupt as the heritage declaration threatens their homes.

Christopher arrives with Munmun and the developers, bringing a suitcase full of money intended for Mirza and the tenants. Mirza sits on the suitcase and proclaims that the entire sum is his, inflaming tensions.

Begum's maid announces Begum has gone. Baankey finds a letter revealing Begum is alive, having eloped with her old lover Abdul Rehman and selling the mansion for a rupee to preserve it.

Begum's decision foils Mirza's plan; she sells the mansion for a rupee to Abdul Rehman in order to preserve Fatima Mahal. The tenants and Mirza are displaced as the house becomes an archaeological heritage site.

Begum returns to celebrate her 95th birthday with Abdul Rehman, while Mirza remains dejected. She leaves behind an antique chair for Mirza, who later reveals he sold it for ₹250.

The final shot shows Begum's antique chair in a Mumbai antique shop, priced at ₹135,000, symbolizing the enduring value of her legacy. The scene hints at a quiet triumph over Mirza's greed.