The first part of the film Shahjahanabad focuses on the ethos and the life of the city before the mutiny of 1857. Although, the power and the central authority had been dwindling over time, the ostentatious lives of the noblemen continued as before. The Mughalai food, the jewellery of the women - all made up this imperial grandeur ... The second part depicts the havoc caused by the mutiny. Here, based as it was on contemporary illustrations and paintings, the narration was evocative. But the background commentary seemed to suggest that almost all the havelis were razed to the ground during the counter-offensive by the British ...

The third part was the film's most powerful, depicting the British control growing, upto 1912, the construction of the Town Hall, St. Stephen's College and the Delhi Durbar of Loyal Lytton, where Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India.,

The fourth part dealt with modern Delhi, with a focus mainly on Rashtrapati Bhavan, which was previously the viceregal mansion ..  - IIC Bulletin