Alibaba Aur 40 Chor- Arabian Nights on drugs

From the 70s through the early 80s, Bollywood produced a number of "foreign collaboration" movies, such collabs somehow more popular than other times in Bollywood history. In these movies, the primary actors were normally Indian, while the supporting cast were from whatever country the collab was with. A fabulous example of this is "Shalimar," which I love to distraction. Alibaba was in collaboration with the then USSR, who has traditionally loved Indian movies (Awara was a smash hit, and Raj Kapoor-Nargis their all time favorite "jodi").

Alibaba is also a classic example of era-less Bollywood. It strays WAY far out in terms of any historical context, costuming and scientific fact. Though based on the Arabian Nights' tale of the same name, it has little to do with the middle east, and boasts fashions ranging from Spanish - Victorian - fake-Arabic. To my mind, this does not detract from the movie- it adds camp value and a sense that the director was on LSD throughout the execution :)















Title: Alibaba Aur 40 Chor
Year: 1980
Cast: Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman, Sofiko Chiaureli, Zakir Mukhamedzhanov, Rolan Bykov, Madan Puri.

The film opens to find Alibaba, (Dharmendra) living in Guleba, an oasis in the middle of the Sahara with his mom (Sofiko Chiaureli) and brother Kasim (Zakir Mukhamedzhanov). His dad Yusuf is away trading in foreign lands.


Guleba is ruled by a Kazi (Rolan Bykov) and is beset by a gang of 40 theives, who capture and loot any envoy on its way to the city. These are super resourceful dacoits- they have captured Fatima (Zeenat) and her dad (Madan Puri) who have invented dynamite, centuries before its known invention in the 1800s :) Now Zeenat must work for the dacoits until they free her dad.

But that is not to be. After the dacoits have made her dance in their cave, which looks like a 80's discotheque- apparently the dacoits had electricity in the middle ages as well :) But seriously, this is such a insane song, what with the crazy lights, yet made sensual by the amazing Zeenat, that it cant be described and you just have to watch it...



... her dad kills himself in order to render her free to run away. Which she does, only to meet up with Alibaba's greedy brother Kassim. Kassim makes her show him the dacoit's treasure hideout...


Only to be found and eventually murdered by the dacoits. The dacoits have meanwhile also looted Alibaba's dad Yusuf (remember him???), and he is found by no less than the king of the land.....


....who is then murdered off by his own vizier (Prem Chopra) [oh god SUCH a complex story] who makes himself king, and tries to bed Princess Marjina (Hema). She gets her own song with Dharam- though it is never clear in the movie as to precisely when and why they fall in love....

Marjina and Yusuf are both rescued by Alibaba (here we go in circles again)....

... but Alibaba doesn't recognize his dad, since Yusuf left town when he was a wee babe (what kind of a business trip is that????!!!) Yusuf is soon killed in a skirmish w/ Abu Hasan and his men, and that is when Alibaba find out the that it is his own dad who is dying in his arms....

What will happen now? Will Alibaba get revenge for his dad and brother's murders (if you have watched ANY Dharam movies you know the answer)? Will Fatima avenge her dad? Since this is Alibaba meets Bollywood, anything can happen!

Notes:
1- The Russian/Uzbek actors did a very good job, especially Rolan Bykov- thunderous applause to him. I really think he would have been a great addition to Bollywood, had he tried to do more there, and would have hammed it up with the best of them.
2- Zeenat wasn't utilized to her best- she is really capable of so much better.
3- Hema and Dharam both look a bit tired- maybe it was the Uzbeki terrain- which didn't appear to have affected Zeenat at all!
4- V cool songs, despite the ludicrous settings.

Conclusion: All in all, entirely watchable, and a fun investment of the requisite 2.5+ hrs- do it!