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
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.
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 millionnett from a gross collection of ₹60 million[5] ($7.63 million).[6] It reached silver jubilee status after running in theaters across India for 25weeks 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 52.8million box office admissions.[7] This was equivalent to approximately 13.2million 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 21million tickets in India[5][10] and 52.8million tickets in the Soviet Union,[7] for an estimated total of 74million tickets sold worldwide.
.svg){kind=small}