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. Two children, born on the same day at the same time - one to the king, Raja Sahib (Bipin Gupta) 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. Raja (Mahesh Kothare) lives a poor lifestyle in a small village along with his mother, Shanta (Nirupa Roy), sister, Sajju (Nazima), and an alcoholic and gambler dad, Hariram (Ajit), 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. 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.