Akshay Kumar's Samrat Prithviraj may not be successful at the box office, but there's no denying that Bollywood loves its kings.
Remember Prithviraj Kapoor's Akbar in the always adored Mughal-e-Azam?
Joginder Tuteja looks at contemporary actors who have done well in their kingly acts.
Prabhas
Baahubali: The Beginning
Box office collection: Rs 115 crore
Baahubali: The Conclusion
Box office collection: Rs 511 crore
The most successful king on Indian screens so far is Prabhas.
Starting with Baahubali: The Beginning and then moving on to Baahubali: The Conclusion, he was fabulous in his double role act.
He started his act as a commoner in the first part, but the story goes into flashback in the second part, revealing his royal heritage.
Prabhas indeed looked like royalty in this masterpiece franchise by S S Rajamouli.
It is the most successful Indian film ever made.
Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh
Padmaavat
Box office collection: Rs 302.15 crore
Sanjay Leela Bhansali presented both Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh as rival kings in Padmaavat.
While Shahid played Maharawal Ratan Singh who was married to Deepika Padukone's Padmavati, Ranveer played Sultan Alauddin Khilji.
While Shahid was graceful, Ranveer was menacing.
The film turned out to be a major success story at the box office and entered the Rs 300 crore club.
Sharad Kelkar
Tanhaji - The Unsung Warrior
Box office collection: Rs 280 crore
While Ajay Devgn played the courageous Maratha warrior Tanhaji in Tanhaji - The Unsung Warrior, Sharad Kelkar played the legendary Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Though he had limited screen time, Sharad impressed each time he appeared in the film, one of the biggest hits of 2020.
Ranveer Singh
Bajirao Mastani
Box office collection: Rs 188 crore
Before Padmaavat, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had roped in Ranveer Singh to play Bajirao I -- considered the greatest general of his time -- in Bajirao Mastani. In reality, Bajirao was the Peshwa, not the king.
As a man stuck between his wife Priyanka Chopra and the love of his life Deepika Padukone, Ranveer brought out the complexities of the heart quite well.
Bajirao Mastani had a lot of drama and action and was a superhit.
Hrithik Roshan
Jodhaa Akbar
Box office collection: Rs 62 crore
Hrithik Roshan was terrific in Jodhaa Akbar as he romanced his bride Aishwarya Rai in Ashutosh Gowariker's epic.
As the Mughal monarch, Hrithik seeped himself into the character and made sure that all eyes were on him when he was on screen.
The film was a good success at the box office.
Shah Rukh Khan
Asoka
Box office collection: Rs 12 crore
Santosh Sivan's beautifully shot Asoka told the dramatised story of the great emperor, played well by Shah Rukh Khan, and Kaurwaki, the princess of Kalinga, played by Kareena Kapoor.
The film offers romance, brutal warfare and amazing cinematography.
Manoj Bajpayee
Zubeidaa
Box office collection: Rs 3.5 crore
Manoj Bajpayee played the maharaja of Jodhpur in Zubeidaa, but gave it a different hue from what we have usually seen on Indian screens.
Karisma Kapoor played the titular character while Rekha played a pivotal role in Shyam Benegal's moving film.
