Bollywood's fairy tale ideas of romance love a touch of royalty.
Some of that fondness has passed on to OTT too as The Royals, an eight-part ensemble series on Netflix, captures what happens when pride and privilege collide as sparks fly between a prince and a working girl.
Sukanya Verma looks at instances of aristocrats falling for commoners on the silver screen.
Khubsoorat
Only faintly reminiscent of Hrishikesh Mukerji's Khoobsurat and its 'nirmal anand' pursuits, the reboot vies for a Mills & Boon-ish energy wherein a ditzy physiotherapist falls for a sophisticated royal.
Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo
Sonam Kapoor's royal affair continues in Sooraj R Barjatya's The Prince and the Pauper rehash where she finds true love in Salman Khan's lookalike masquerading as the crowned prince after the real deal goes underground.
Zubeidaa
Shyam Benegal chronicles the ups and downs of a young woman's life through Karisma Kapoor's spirited portrayal in and as Zubeidaa. Its key chapter is her fairy tale marriage to Manoj Bajpayee's Rajasthani prince ending in heartache and tragedy.
Eklavya: The Royal Guard
Although the love story between Saif Ali Khan's prince and Vidya Balan as the chauffeur's daughter is peripheral to Eklavya's intense drama about loyalty and revenge, the pair's stunning chemistry enhances the emotional quotient of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's storytelling.
Hameshaa
Hameshaa is a rare instance of a royal fella playing the villain of the piece. Kajol's decision to pick Saif Ali Khan as Prince Charming after she turns down Aditya Pancholi's mahal and money leaves the latter so furious, they end up dying only to be reborn and at the receiving end of his wrath once again.
Rajkumar
Shammi Kapoor has played quite a few blue blooded blokes in his career. In Rajkumar, he's a prince hoping to acquit himself from the charges of murdering a tribal chief by looking for the culprit. He disguises himself as a common man and falls in love with an ethereal Sadhana, the deceased man's daughter.
Prince
Once again, Shammi Kapoor is a royal prince going incognito, leading a villager's life, but finding true love in Vyjayanthimala's hoity toity princess as part of the 1960s style royal rom-com.
Dharam Veer
Teeming in the filmmaker's trademark masala and flights of fancy, Manmohan Desai's flamboyant costume drama about kings and queens, warriors and villains weaves a great deal of romance around Zeenat Aman's snooty princess and Dharmendra's macho ironsmith, oblivious to his royal roots.
Raja Jani
Dharmendra and Hema Malini's superhit jodi work its magic around a swindling scheme when their plans to pass off a street dancer as a princess ends up in a true story as well as true love.
Jodhaa Akbar
Where royal romances go, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's tender portrait of newlyweds falling in love as a political marriage makes way for inter-religious harmony is right up there.
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