View source for Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves film

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves<br>{{small|Приключения Али-Бабы и сорока разбойников}}
| image          = Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves.jpg
| alt            =
| caption        = India theatrical release poster
| native_name    = '''Alibaba aur 40 Chor'''
| director       = [[Umesh Mehra]] ({{small|Hindi}})<br /> [[:uz:Latif Fayziyev|Latif Faiziev]] ({{small|Russian}})
| producer       = F. C. Mehra
| screenplay     = Shanti Prakash Bakshi<br />Boris Saakov {{infobox|decat=yes|child=yes|label1= Dialogues by|data1= [[Javed Siddiqui]] ({{small|Hindi}})<br/>Boris Saakov ({{small|Russian}})}}
| story          = Shanti Prakash Bakshi<br />Boris Saakov
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves]]''<br>(''[[Arabian Nights]]'')}}
| starring       = [[Dharmendra]]<br />[[Hema Malini]]<br />[[Zeenat Aman]]<br />[[Yoqub Ahmedov]]<br />[[Rolan Bykov]]<br />[[Sofiko Chiaureli]]<br />[[Elena Sanayeva]]
| narrator       = 
| music          = '''Score''':<br />Vladimir Milov<br />'''Songs''':<br />[[R. D. Burman]]
| cinematography = Leonid Travitsky<br />Peter Pereira
| editing        = [[M. S. Shinde]] ({{small|Hindi}})<br />M. Makarova ({{small|Russian}})
| studio         = Eagle Films<br />[[Uzbekfilm]]
| distributor    = '''India''':<br/>Eagle Films<br/>'''Soviet Union''':<br/>[[Uzbekfilm]]
| released       = {{Film date|1980|05|30|df=y}}
| runtime        = 153 minutes
| country        = [[India]]<br />[[Soviet Union]]
| language       = [[Hindustani language|Hindi]]<br />[[Russian language|Russian]]
| budget         = 
| gross          = {{estimation}} {{US$|{{#expr:7.634+20.5 round 2}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:60+161.13}} million}})
}}

'''''Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves''''' ({{langx|hi|'''Alibaba aur 40 Chor'''|italic=yes}}; {{langx|ru|'''Приключения Али-Бабы и сорока разбойников'''|italic=yes|'''Priklucheniya Ali-Baby i soroka razboynikov'''}}) is a 1980 [[Cinema of India|Indo]]-[[Cinema of the Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Fantasy film|fantasy]] film based on the ''[[Arabian Nights]]'' story of ''[[Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves]]'', directed by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] director Latif Faiziev with Indian director [[Umesh Mehra]]. The movie was released in India as '''''Alibaba aur 40 Chor'''''. The film stars Indian actors [[Dharmendra]], [[Hema Malini]] and [[Zeenat Aman]] alongside [[Russians|Russian]], [[Caucasus|Caucasian]] and [[Central Asia]]n 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 [[R.D. Burman]] and Vladimir Milov. The [[Choreographer|choreographers]] of the film were Leonid Travitsky and Peter Pereira.<ref name="hindu">{{Cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/alibaba-aur-40-chor-1979/article17407847.ece |title=Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1979) |last=Malhotra |first=A. P. S. |date=4 March 2017 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=11 May 2018 |archive-date=9 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009093033/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/alibaba-aur-40-chor-1979/article17407847.ece |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KdsEGU-JxFIC&q=dharmendra |title=''The Illustrated Weekly of India'', Volume 101, Issues 18-34 |date=1980 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=7 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007040532/https://books.google.com/books?id=KdsEGU-JxFIC&q=dharmendra |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nashfilm">{{cite web |title=Приключения Али-Бабы и сорока разбойников – в Багдаде все спокойно |url=http://www.nashfilm.ru/sovietkino/1435.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013151717/http://www.nashfilm.ru/sovietkino/1435.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 October 2007 |website=Nashfilm |accessdate=13 October 2007}}</ref> It was the most successful Indian-Soviet co-production, becoming a success in both India and the Soviet Union.

== Plot ==

Alibaba, 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's father, Yousuf, is a merchant in a distant land and has not returned to Gulabad since leaving shortly after Ali's birth. Ali earns his living by selling timber he cuts from the hills. 

Gulabad is terrorized by a band of 40 [[Dacoity|bandits]] 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 that his father has gone missing, he sets out to find him. During his journey, Ali not only locates his father but also rescues Princess Marjeena from the guards of a usurper who murdered her father to seize the throne. Ali 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 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 and their mother when the debt is not returned. Forced to leave, Ali and his mother start anew.

Meanwhile, the [[Qadi|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 defeat Abu Hassan.

Soon, Ali 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, persuades Ali 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 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 to protect the treasure. Abu Hassan devises a plan to hide the forty thieves in large urns, intending to ambush Ali. However, Ali discovers the plot with Fatima's help and kills all the thieves.

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

== Cast ==
* [[Dharmendra]] as Alibaba / Ali
* [[Hema Malini]] as Princess Marjeena
* [[Zeenat Aman]] as Fatima
* [[Yoqub Ahmedov]] as Qasim – Ali’s elder brother
* [[Sofiko Chiaureli]] as Ali's mother
* [[Rolan Bykov]] as Abu Hassan – Leader of the 40 thieves
* [[Elena Sanayeva]] as the [[Spirit (supernatural entity)|Spirit]] of the cave
* Zakir Mukhamedzhanov as Yousuf – Ali’s father
* Kuatbai Abdreimov as Ali's friend
* [[Frunzik Mkrtchyan]] as Mustafa
* Khodzha Durdy Narliyev as Khamid
* [[Prem Chopra]] as Shamsher
* [[Madan Puri]] as Fatima's father
* [[Pinchoo Kapoor]] as King Shah Parvez
* [[Mac Mohan]] as Mehmood
* Sanat Divanov as Ali’s friend
* Kuatbai Abdreimov as Ali’s friend
* Sharif Kabilov as Bandit

== Music and soundtrack ==
The music for the film's songs was composed by [[Rahul Dev Burman|R. D. Burman]] and the lyrics of the songs were penned by [[Anand Bakshi]].
The background score of the movie was done by Vladimir Milov.  
{{Tracklist
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| all_lyrics = 
| title4 = Aaja Sar-E-Bazar
| extra4 = Lata Mangeshkar
| length4 = 

| title2 = Qayamat Qayamat
| extra2 = [[Lata Mangeshkar]]
| length2 = 

| title3 = Sare Shahar Mein Ek Haseen Hai, Aur Woh Main Hoon
| extra3 = Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle
| length3 = 

| title1 = Jadugar Jadu Kar Jayega, Kisiko Samajh Nahin Aayega
| extra1 = [[Kishore Kumar]], [[Asha Bhosle]]
| length1 = 

| title5 = Khatouba Khatouba
| extra5 = Asha Bhosle
| length5 = 
}}

== Box office ==
''Ali Baba'' was a successful Indo-Soviet co-production, becoming a financial success in India and an even bigger hit in the Soviet Union.<ref name="Salazkina">{{cite journal |last=Salazkina |first=Masha |title=Soviet-Indian Coproductions: ''Alibaba'' as Political Allegory |journal=[[Cinema Journal]] |date=2010 |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=71–89 [72–73] |doi=10.1353/cj.2010.0002 |url=https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/978004/1/Soviet-Indian_coproductions_proofs.pdf#page=4 |access-date=12 December 2018 |archive-date=27 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127073413/https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/978004/1/Soviet-Indian_coproductions_proofs.pdf#page=4 |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[India]], it was the eighth [[List of highest-grossing Indian films|top-grossing film]] of 1980, earning {{INR|30 million}} [[Entertainment tax|nett]] from a gross collection of {{INR|60 million}}<ref name="boi80">{{cite web |title=Box Office 1980 |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=186&catName=MTk4MA== |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029225849/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=186&catName=MTk4MA== |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 October 2008 |website=[[Box Office India]] |accessdate=29 October 2008}}</ref> ({{US$|{{#expr:60/7.86 round 2}} million|long=no}}).<ref name="inr80">{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1980&locations=IN&start=1979 |website=[[World Bank]] |year=1980 |accessdate=11 December 2018 |archive-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024135752/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF%3Fend%3D1980%26locations%3DIN%26start%3D1979 |url-status=live }}</ref> It reached silver jubilee status after running in theaters across India for 25{{nbsp}}weeks continuously.<ref name="Salazkina"/>

In the [[Soviet Union]], it was the fifth top-grossing domestic film of 1980, and the 32nd [[List of Soviet films of the year by ticket sales|highest-grossing domestic film]] of all time, with 52.8{{nbsp}}million box office admissions.<ref name="Kudryavtsev">{{cite web|url=http://kinanet.livejournal.com/14172.html|title=Отечественные фильмы в советском кинопрокате|author=Sergey Kudryavtsev|author-link=Sergey Kudryavtsev (film critic)|date=4 July 2006|access-date=12 December 2018|archive-date=22 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322203049/https://kinanet.livejournal.com/14172.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This was equivalent to approximately {{#expr:52.8/(100/25)}}{{nbsp}}million&nbsp;[[Soviet rouble|Rbls]]<ref name="moscow7">[https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/podzim2015/FAV291/um/Roth-Ey-Moscow_Prime_Time.pdf#page=7 ''Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War'', page 48] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510014311/https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/podzim2015/FAV291/um/Roth-Ey-Moscow_Prime_Time.pdf#page=7 |date=10 May 2018 }}, [[Cornell University Press]], 2011</ref> ({{US$|{{#expr:13.2/(64.4/100) round 2}} million|long=no}},<ref name="russia">{{cite web|title=Archive|url=http://cbr.ru/currency_base/OldDataFiles/USD.xls|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229074625/http://cbr.ru/currency_base/OldDataFiles/USD.xls|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 December 2009|website=[[Central Bank of Russia]]|year=1972|accessdate=29 December 2009}}</ref> {{INR|{{#expr:20.5*7.86 round 2}} million}}).<ref name="inr80"/> Worldwide, the film grossed {{US$|{{#expr:7.63+20.5}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:60+161.13}} million}}). This is equivalent to {{US$|{{Inflation|US|28.13|1980}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:{{Inflation|US|28.13|1980}}*(1000/{{To USD|1000|IND}})/1000 round 2}} billion}}) adjusted for inflation in {{Inflation/year|US}}.

In terms of footfalls, the film sold an estimated {{#expr:60/(2.49*0.72+4.03*0.28) round 0}}{{nbsp}}million tickets in India<ref name="boi80"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mittal |first1=Ashok |title=Cinema Industry in India: Pricing and Taxation |date=1995 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=9788173870231 |pages=71 & 77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RJVodLc6NgoC&pg=PA77 |access-date=8 February 2019 |archive-date=18 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118133358/https://books.google.com/books?id=RJVodLc6NgoC&pg=PA77 |url-status=live }}</ref> and 52.8{{nbsp}}million tickets in the Soviet Union,<ref name="Kudryavtsev"/> for an estimated total of {{#expr:21+52.8 round 0}}{{nbsp}}million tickets sold worldwide.

== Awards ==
The film won awards at several film festivals, including the [[All-Union Film Festival]] in 1980,<ref>КИНО: Энциклопедический словарь, главный редактор С. И. Юткевич, М. Советская энциклопедия, 1987, с.83</ref> the [[Dushanbe]] Film Festival in 1980,<ref name="nashfilm"/> and the Grand Prix at the [[Belgrade Film Festival]] in 1981.<ref name="Salazkina"/><ref name="nashfilm"/>

== See also ==
Other Indo-Soviet films:

*''[[Sohni Mahiwal (1984 film)|Sohni Mahiwal]]''
*''[[Ajooba]]''

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{IMDb title|0079749}}

{{Ali Baba}}

[[Category:1980 films]]
[[Category:Films based on Ali Baba]]
[[Category:1980 Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:1980 Indian films]]
[[Category:Indian fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:Indian action adventure films]]
[[Category:1980s fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:1980 adventure films]]
[[Category:Soviet action adventure films]]
[[Category:Films scored by R. D. Burman]]
[[Category:1980 Soviet films]]
[[Category:1980 Russian-language films]]
[[Category:Indian multilingual films]]
[[Category:Soviet multilingual films]]
[[Category:Indian fantasy action films]]
[[Category:1980 multilingual films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Umesh Mehra]]
[[Category:Films shot in Uzbekistan]]
[[Category:Films set in Samarkand]]
[[Category:Russian-language action adventure films]]