Nirmala Devi, a classical singer sings this courtesan-style song in a very impressive way, this is a song of lament that she cannot play her music in the absence of her Raja.

Sohrab Modi acquired larger than life image for his great historical films like Pukar (1939) and Sikandar (1941).

You can relate to them because they were about well-known legends associated with them.

The former about Jahangirs sense of justice in which he is willing to submit himself to the same punishment as would have been given to a commoner, and the latter about the famous legend of King Porus holding his head high even in defeat when asked by Alexander how he should be treated, Porus replied, Just like a king treats another king.

We also feel happy to be a vicarious witness to an important fixed point in history 326 B.

C. which I consider the beginning of our formal historiography.

There are legends galore about them and their royal ladies a goldmine for Bollywood.

These movies slender connection to history is that the principal characters are from known history.

We cant say the same for the stories these may be well-known folklore, but not necessarily historical facts.

We have been an independent country for 73 years and a republic for 71 years, therefore, when I watch a film like Aan (1952) I am curious which period or location it belongs to.

We know there were about 550 princely states, but surely there were famous ones like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Gwalior, Baroda, Patiala, Rampur, Hyderabad, Awadh which played an important role in history.

I gave up because there were so many Raja-Rani films of indeterminate place and time, and the experts I knew were as clueless as I was.

Raja-Rani are not kings or queens, these are colloquial endearing terms to address ones lover or beloved.

Raja has another very specific usage in a raunchy folk song-dance performance the singer, who may be a transgender, would often address an inebriated person Ae Raja suggestively to make him shower some currency notes on her.

The courtesan would often address a rich patron, or a lover, Raja, which had nothing to do with a royal lineage, but simply a term of endearment sometimes genuine, but often a part of her performance repertoire.

One of the roaringly famous vintage songs one immediately recalls is, More Raja ho le chal nadiya ke paar Mori rani ho tumhin mori pran aadhar.

Raja-Rani were very socialist, egalitarian terms.

In Patanga (1949), the traffic constable Yaqub was Raja, and Nigar Sultana, a street performer helping her father in earning their livelihood, was Rani.

Since they were Raja and Rani, they naturally hit it off like a house on fire.

The lady pleads her Rajaji not to forget her, and warns him of all the enchantresses in different directions.

You will never come across a more compliant Rajaji who assures her that he is going only because of call of duty, his heart will remain with her.

He even promises he would not go to panghat even when he is thirsty, he would quench his thirst by her memories.

And fittingly, he created at least two immortal Raja-Rani songs in the vintage era.

Veteran SOY-ers would recall that at the invitation of her lover to cross the threshold of his courtyard, the lady unhesitatingly responds, Raja more man ke tori Rani ban ke chali aaun tumhare angana.

This time the lady beckons her lover to ferry her across the river, and he is oozing intense love, Mori Rani ho, tumhin mori pran adhar.

That was a period when Naushad was fishing around many singers before he would finally settle with Lata Mangeshkar in a big way, and perhaps Shamshad Begum to some degree.

Raja Rani Songs