Character Analysis
The Little Prince
The Maharaja, whose real name is Zalim Singh, is a figurehead ruler over the fictional province of Pankot during British rule in India. If there's anything the British love, it's rulers who are virtually worthless, but look nice wearing fancy headgear.
He may be useless, but, boy, is the Maharaja a sight to be seen. When he first appears, he is decked out in more jewels than a Victoria's Secret fashion show bra. And when he speaks, he does so in perfect English. As we've said, he so-called "kingdom" is really being run by the British. Yet when the Maharaja opens his mouth, the table goes silent, and everyone listens:
MAHARAJA: I have heard the evil stories of the Thuggee cult. I thought the stories were told to frighten children. Later, I learnt the Thuggee cult was once real and did of unspeakable things. I am ashamed of what happened here so many years ago, and I assure you this will never happen again in my kingdom.
Does that sound rehearsed to you? Yeah. It sounds rehearsed to us, too.
It turns out that the Maharaja's under the mind control of the magical blood of Kali Ma. And magic blood mind control isn't the only kind of magic afoot in the Pankot Palace, because the Maharaja himself uses a Voodoo doll to hurt Indy from afar.
Yes. That's right. The Maharaja, despite being an Indian prince, is using an object associated with the African/Caribbean spiritual practice of Voodoo. You'd think that with a budget as big as Temple of Doom' s, they could have hired someone who knew even the teensiest bit about world religions.
However, despite doing that (super anachronistic) Voodoo, the Maharaja is good at heart. He tells Short Round how to escape after Shorty breaks the spell. No wonder the British like him. He helps their allies.