''Raju Peda'' () is a 1954 Indian

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

-language film directed and produced by

B. A. Subba Rao B. A. Subba Rao was an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter who primarily worked in Telugu cinema. He played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of several prominent actors, including N. T. Rama Rao. Subba Rao made his directorial ...

. The film stars

N. T. Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, philanthropist, and politician who served as the Chief Minister o ...

, Lakshmirajyam, S. V. Ranga Rao and Master Sudhakar, with music composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. It is based on

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

’s 1881 novel, ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. The plot conce ...

'' and was later remade into the Hindi film '' Raja Aur Runk'' (1968) and dubbed into

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

as ''Aandi Petra Selvan'' (1957).

Plot

The film opens in a kingdom where two boys, Narendra Dev and Narisigadu, are born as doppelgangers. Narendra Dev is the heir to Emperor Surendra Dev, while Narisigadu is born to the impoverished Poligadu, a beggar and thief. Twelve years later, Emperor Surendra Dev falls gravely ill and transfers royal authority to his son, aware that his brother-in-law, Vikram, is scheming to seize the throne. Meanwhile, Narisigadu lives with his mother, Achamma, and sister, Malli, in dire poverty. Poligadu forces Narisigadu to beg and prevents him from attending school, prompting Narisigadu to run away. One day, while wandering near the palace, Narisigadu meets Narendra, who invites him inside. Narendra, aware of their identical appearance, hides the royal assent and suggests they temporarily swap places. Mistaken for Narisigadu, Narendra is expelled from the palace, while Narisigadu is assumed to be the prince. As Narendra experiences the hardships of common life, Narisigadu's strange behavior in the palace is attributed to memory loss. Emperor Surendra Dev repeatedly asks for the royal assent, but Narisigadu, unaware of its location, is unable to produce it. Narendra eventually ends up at Narisigadu's home, where he faces mistreatment from Poligadu. He escapes and meets Sudhir, a noble soldier who is in love with Malli. Though initially skeptical of Narendra's claims of royalty, Sudhir agrees to help him. After Emperor Surendra Dev passes away, the prince's charge is given to the loyal Vijaya Varma. Meanwhile, Poligadu and his gang plot to rob the royal treasury, with Narendra joining them in order to gain access to the court. Narendra confronts Narisigadu, accusing him of usurping his position, but Narisigadu humbly admits the truth. Overhearing this, Vikram plans to assassinate the prince, using his ally, Subedar, to carry out the scheme. Subedar captures Narendra, but Poligadu and Sudhir intervene, thwarting the plot. Just before the coronation, Poligadu and Sudhir arrive with Narendra, shocking the court with the identical appearances of the two boys. Vikram tries to discredit Narendra, but he correctly answers the nobles' questions and reveals the location of the missing royal assent. Vikram attempts to kill Narendra, but Narisigadu defends him, and Poligadu ultimately stops Vikram. In the end, Narendra is crowned king and rewards Narisigadu with an honorable rank, restoring his family's dignity. The film concludes with Narendra's crowning ceremony.

Cast

as Poligadu * Lakshmirajyam as Achamma * S. V. Ranga Rao as Maharaju Surendra Dev * Relangi as Sudhir * R. Nageswara Rao as Vikram * Dr. Sivaramakrishnayya as Bhugolam Panthulu * V. C. Kamaraju as Vijay * Lakshmaiah Chowdary as Subedhar * Chelamaiah Chowdary as Raja Guruvu * Jaya Rami Reddy as Bhaskar * Lakshman Rao as Prabhakar * Ammaji as Malli * T. D. Kusalakumari as dancer * Master Sudhakar as Narendra Dev & Naarigadu (dual role)

Soundtrack

Telugu

The music of the film was composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. Lyrics were by

Tapi Dharma Rao Thapi Dharma Rao Naidu (1887–1973) was a Telugu writer, journalist, rationalist, and social reformer. He is considered as a pioneer of colloquial language in Telugu journalism and a doyen of Telugu prose writers. He was awarded the Sahitya Aka ...

, Aatreya and

Kosaraju Kosaraju Raghavayya (23 June 1905 – 27 October 1987), known mononumously by his surname Kosaraju, was an Indian lyricist and poet known for his works in Telugu cinema. He wrote about 3,000 songs in 350 films. His lyrics are steeped in Telug ...

Playback singer A playback singer, as they are usually known in South Asian cinema, or ghost singer in Western cinema, is a singer whose performance is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and the performers lip-sync the ...

s are Ghantasala,

Madhavapeddi Satyam Madhavapeddi Satyam (11 March 1922 – 18 December 2000) was an Indian playback singer and actor who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. He entered films as a singer-actor in Y. V. Rao's Tamil-Hindi bilingual movie ''Ramadas'' in the year 19 ...

Jikki Pillavalu Gajapathy Krishnaveni (3 November 1935 – 16 August 2004), more famously known as Jikki, was an Indian playback singer from Andhra Pradesh. She sang around 10,000 songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Sinhalese, and Hindi lan ...

, K. Rani, P. Susheela and T. Sathyavathi.

Tamil

Music for the Tamil version was composed by T. Chalapathi Rao and the lyrics were penned by Kuyilan and Puratchidasan.

s are T. M. Soundararajan, S. C. Krishnan,

, P. Leela,

R. Balasaraswathi Devi Raavu Balasaraswathi Devi (born 28 August 1928) is an Indian singer and actress who performed from 1930 to the 1960s in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She was the first light music singer on All India Radio and the first playback singer in the Telug ...

M. S. Rajeswari M. S. Rajeswari (; 24 February 1932 – 25 April 2018) was an Indian playback singer who has recorded over 500 songs in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada language films. Early life She was born on 24 February 1932 to Madurai Satagopan and ...

, T. Sathyavathi and Kamala.

Awards

*This film was one of

's finest performances, for which he was presented the

Rashtrapati Award Rashtrapati Awards used to be given by the President of India, in some cases the Prime Minister of India, for achievements in the field of sports, art, military, literature, cinema, culture, science and technology, or Scouting. The award-giving ...

References

External links

* - Song sung by Jikki in Telugu * - Same song in Tamil * {{The Prince and the Pauper 1954 films 1950s Telugu-language films Indian black-and-white films Telugu films remade in other languages Films directed by B. A. Subba Rao Indian drama films 1954 drama films