Video: Meet Raja the King, India’s very own Elvis
- Text by Alex King
Growing up in Kharagpur, India, Raja Danapat always loved to sing and would imitate Cliff Richards and Tom Jones.
But one evening, a visit to his local cinema changed his life for ever. Projected onto the screen in glorious technicolour, he came face-to-face with The Pelvis, The Memphis Flash, The King of Rock ’n Roll: the one and only Elvis Presley.
Now 73, the self-proclaimed “twin brother” of Elvis has been impersonating his hero for decades – an his life has been shaped by the shining example of The King.
“Once I’m on the stage, I’m a different person altogether,” Raja explains.
Directed by Liam Saint-Pierre, The King Within follows Raja from his doctor’s consulting room in London through his second life: entertaining the local community by moonlighting as the King of Rock ’n Roll and raising money for Kolkata street children.
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