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Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves (film)

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Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves
Indian poster
Directed byUmesh Mehra
Latif Faiziyev
Written byShanti Prakash Bakshi
Boris Saakov
Based onAli Baba and the Forty Thieves
(Arabian Nights)
Produced byF.C. Mehra
StarringDharmendra
Hema Malini
Zeenat Aman
Music byR. D. Burman
Production
companies
Eagle Films
Uzbekfilm
Release date
  • 30 May 1980 (1980-05-30)
Running time
153 minutes
CountriesIndia
USSR
LanguagesHindi
Russian
Box officeest. $28.13 million (₹221.13 million)

Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves (Hindi: Alibaba Aur 40 Chor; Russian: Приключения Али-Бабы и сорока разбойников, romanized: Priklucheniya Ali-Baby i soroka razboynikov) is a 1980 Indian-Soviet film based on the Arabian Nights story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, directed by Uzbek director Latif Faiziyev with Indian director Umesh Mehra. The film stars Indian actors Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman alongside Russian, Caucasian and Central Asian actors. The storyline is slightly altered to extend as a long movie. The writers were Shanti Prakash Bakshi and Boris Saakov, the music was scored by musician R.D. Burman, and the Choreographer was P. L. Raj.[1][2][3] It was the most successful Indian-Soviet co-production, becoming a success in both India and the Soviet Union.

Plot

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Ali Baba, a poor man, lives in the fictional town of Gulabad, somewhere in Central Asia, with his mother and elder brother Qasim, who owns a small shop. Ali Baba's father, Yousuf, is a merchant in a distant land and has not returned to Gulabad since leaving shortly after Ali Baba's birth. Ali Baba earns his living by selling timber he cuts from the hills.

Gulabad is terrorized by a band of 40 dacoits who hide their loot in a magical cave located in the deserted hills. The bandit leader uses a magical spell to open the cave and another to close it.

When news reaches Ali Baba that his father has gone missing, he sets out to find him. During his journey, Ali Baba not only locates his father but also rescues Princess Marjeena from the guards of an usurper who murdered her father to seize the throne. Ali Baba and Marjeena fall in love, but their happiness is short-lived. They are ambushed, Marjeena is captured, and Yousuf is killed.

After burying his father, Ali Baba learns that Marjeena is being sold in the slave market. He borrows money from Qasim to buy her freedom and brings her home. However, Qasim demands repayment and decides to evict Ali Baba and their mother when the debt is not returned. Forced to leave, Ali Baba and his mother start anew.

Meanwhile, the Qazi of the region announces a reward for the capture of the notorious bandit Abu Hassan. Fatima, a young girl whose father was murdered by the dacoits, seeks vengeance and offers to help Ali Baba defeat Abu Hassan.

Soon, Ali Baba discovers Abu Hassan’s secret hideout and learns the magic spells to access it. He takes some gold and jewelry from the cave, which he distributes among the villagers to fund a water diversion project for their parched land.

Qasim, driven by greed, pressures Ali Baba to reveal the cave's location and the spells. After gaining this knowledge, Qasim visits the cave but becomes trapped when he forgets the spell to reopen the door. When the dacoits find him, they kill him.

Ali Baba informs the Qazi about Abu Hassan’s hideout, unaware that the Qazi and Abu Hassan are the same person. The Qazi instructs his men to kill Ali Baba to protect the treasure. Abu Hassan devises a plan to hide the forty thieves in large urns, intending to ambush Ali Baba. However, Ali Baba discovers the plot with Fatima's help and kills all the thieves.

In the end, Ali Baba exposes the truth about Abu Hassan’s dual identity and brings justice to Gulabad.

Cast

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Soundtrack

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No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Aaja Sar-E-Bazar"Lata Mangeshkar 
2."Qayamat Qayamat"Lata Mangeshkar 
3."Sare Shahar Mein Ek Haseen Hai, Aur Woh Main Hoon"Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle 
4."Jadugar Jadu Kar Jayega, Kisiko Samajh Nahin Aayega"Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle 
5."Khatouba Khatouba"Asha Bhosle 

Box office

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Ali Baba was the most successful Indian-Soviet co-production, becoming a financial success in India and an even bigger hit in the Soviet Union.[4] In India, it was the eighth top-grossing film of 1980, earning ₹30 million nett from a gross collection of ₹60 million[5] ($7.63 million).[6] It reached silver jubilee status after running in theaters across India for 25 weeks continuously.[4]

In the Soviet Union, it was the fifth top-grossing domestic film of 1980, and the 32nd highest-grossing domestic film of all time, with 52.8 million box office admissions.[7] This was equivalent to approximately 13.2 million Rbls[8] ($20.5 million,[9] ₹161.13 million).[6] Worldwide, the film grossed $28.13 million (₹221.13 million). This is equivalent to $104 million (₹7.7 billion) adjusted for inflation in 2023.

In terms of footfalls, the film sold an estimated 21 million tickets in India[5][10] and 52.8 million tickets in the Soviet Union,[7] for an estimated total of 74 million tickets sold worldwide.

Awards

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The film won awards at several film festivals, including the All-Union Film Festival in 1980,[11] the Dushanbe Film Festival in 1980,[3] and the Grand Prix at the Belgrade Film Festival in 1981.[4][3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Malhotra, A. P. S. (4 March 2017). "Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1979)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  2. ^ "The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 101, Issues 18-34". Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Приключения Али-Бабы и сорока разбойников – в Багдаде все спокойно". Nashfilm. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
  4. ^ a b c Salazkina, Masha (2010). "Soviet-Indian Coproductions: Alibaba as Political Allegory" (PDF). Cinema Journal. 49 (4): 71–89 [72–73]. doi:10.1353/cj.2010.0002. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Box Office 1980". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  6. ^ a b "Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average)". World Bank. 1980. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  7. ^ a b Sergey Kudryavtsev (4 July 2006). "Отечественные фильмы в советском кинопрокате". Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  8. ^ Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War, page 48 Archived 10 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Cornell University Press, 2011
  9. ^ "Archive". Central Bank of Russia. 1972. Archived from the original on 29 December 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  10. ^ Mittal, Ashok (1995). Cinema Industry in India: Pricing and Taxation. Indus Publishing. pp. 71 & 77. ISBN 9788173870231. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  11. ^ КИНО: Энциклопедический словарь, главный редактор С. И. Юткевич, М. Советская энциклопедия, 1987, с.83
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