Raja Aur Runk (1968)

Mark Twain's story "The Prince and the Pauper" is transplanted to an Indian setting with all of the essential elements intact.

Director:

Kotayya Pratyagatma

Writers:

Kotayya Pratyagatma (screenplay), R.V. Sastri (screenplay),

Stars:

Sanjeev Kumar, Ajit, Mukri

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sanjeev Kumar	...	Sudhir / Vijay
Ajit	...	Hariram 'Haria'
Mukri	...	Sunder - Sudhir's friend
Mohan Choti	...	Gangu - Hariram's friend
Kamal Kapoor	...	Senapati Vikram
Mahesh Kothare	...	Yuvraaj Narendradev / Raja (as Master Mahesh)
Nirupa Roy	...	Shanta
Kumkum	...	Rajnartaki Madhvi (as Kum Kum)
Nazima	...	Sujata "Sujjo"
Aruna Rai	...	Chanchala - Madhvi's friend
Bipin Gupta	...	Maharaj
Badri Prasad	...	Guru Shivanand
Shyam Kumar	...	(as Sham Kumar)
Yusuf	...	(as Master Yusuf)
Master Maruti	...	Fat kid (as Maruti)

Storyline

Raja lives a poor lifestyle in a small village along with his mother, Shanta, sister, Sajju, and an alcoholic and gambler dad, Hariram, who abuses him physically and verbally as well as forces him to beg. Sajju sells toys (Firkis) for a living, but Hariram forces her to give him all the money. Shanta and Sajju encourage Raja to attend the local school, but Hariram tears up his schoolbooks and won't permit him to study. Raja likes to play with his friends and pretend to be the king. When Hariram witnesses this, he beats him up. Shortly thereafter Shanta and Sajju find out that Raja has lost his mind and really believes he is a king, and refuses to listen nor obey his elders anymore.

---

Genres:

Drama | Family | Musical

---

Details

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Filming Locations:

Prasad Studios, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Company Credits

Production Co:

Prasad Productions Pvt. Ltd.

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Mr. White Mr. Black (2008)

---

Soundtracks

"O Firkiwali, Tu Kal Phir Aana, Nahin Phir Jaana"
Performed by Mohammad Rafi
Lyrics by Anand Bakshi
Music by Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar, Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma

User Reviews

Good adventure film

Raja Aur Runk is the story of a prince and a pauper. Two children, born on the same day at the same time - one to the king, Raja Sahib and one to the poor man Hariya (Ajit). The king is thrilled at the birth of Yuvraj, the heir to the throne while Hariya is cynical about the birth of his son, Raja.

Both the children grow up looking identical, but there is a constant contrast in their lives and upbringing. One day, Raja runs away from home and somehow ends up in the palace, where he meets Yuvraj. Both the boys discover how different their lives are. Being tempted to see the world outside, Yuvraj changes identities with Raja and leaves the palace. Both boys now struggle in vain to adjust to their new identity. Raja's mother (Nirupa Roy) and sister Sujjo (Nazima) both are miserable with his changed behavior and the King is also very distressed about Yuvraj. Sudhir (Sanjeev Kumar) comes in as a pivotal player in this saga of gripping twists and turns.

This Prasad Productions' costume drama has effective performances by Sanjeev Kumar, Nazima and child artiste Mahesh Kothare. The hit team of Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal created melodious songs like 'Tu Kitni Achchi Hai…O Maa', 'O Phirkiwali', 'Mera Naam Hai Chameli' and 'Sang Basanti Ang Basanti'.