Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1966)

My Reviews

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, as we know, is a famous fairy tale or folk tale. It is part of the Arabian Nights stories. It has been made multiple times in Hindi cinema, the most famous being probably the Indo-Russian version released in 1980.  In today’s post, we visit the 1966 version produced and directed by Homi Wadia under the banner of Basant Pictures. He had made another movie on the same subject in 1954.

The Plot

The story is familiar. The film starts with the gang of 40 thieves leaving their hideout, located in a cave in the mountains. The chief (played by B M Vyas) shouts “Khulja Sim Sim” and “Band Ho Ja Sim Sim) to open and close the mouth of the cave. Only those who say the magic words (or password) can enter or leave the cave.

The thieves are on a mission to loot a city. They enter some tents and kill the parents of a girl called Marjina (L Vijayalaxmi). Marjina survives because she was hiding in a chest with the help of Aflatoon (Kamal Mehra). Its not clear if Aflatoon is her relative or a servant. The chief orders the tents to be set on fire. Marjina escapes in time with Aflatoon.

We see Alibaba (Sanjeev Kumar) distributing money to the needy. The reason being his brother Amir (or Mir) Qasim (S. N. Tripathi) is getting married. Assisting him is his faithful servant Gulbadan (Tabassum). She hopes Alibaba too will get married soon and has atleast 4 wives. His elder sister is Razia (played by Veena).

His brother and sister in law have arrived home. There is a ritual where the newly weds see each other’s faces for the first time reflected in a mirror or plate. Alibaba is too excited to meet his bhabhi. The wife (played by Indira) sees the handsome Alibaba’s face in the reflection and assumes he is her husband. But she is shaken when she sees her actual husband Qasim, who is well, not so good looking. Qasim is a simple man and she wastes no time in manipulating him and make him act as per her wishes.

The new bhabhi has her sights set on Alibaba and tries to seduce him one day. He cannot accept this. He tells her he treats her like his mother. She should maintain the purity of their relationship. She sees her husband entering and changes tact. She accuses Alibaba of trying to take advantage of her. Razia steps in and admonishes her for falsely accusing Alibaba. But the gullible Qasim is easily convinced by his wife’s drama. Razia cannot digest the insult and allegations; she decides to leave the house with Alibaba. The loyal Gulbadan joins them.

We see Marjina again. She is dancing in order to earn a living. Aflatoon is also with her. Qasim’s soldiers led by Jaffar try to capture her (to take her to Qasim) but she manages to give them the slip after a fight sequence. Marjina and Aflatoon hide in a tailor’s shop. The tailor Mustafa Baba (David) is an expert in mending clothes. They see him flirting with a young customer. He claims he can even sew a dead body, such is his expertise.

The soldiers corner Marjina, and Jaffar whips her in public. Alibaba arrives and lectures Jaffar. There is another long fight scene making you wonder if you are watching a stunt film. Jaffar and his men run away. Afterwards, Marjina and Aflatoon want to thank Alibaba but he insults her and goes away. He doesn’t trust women after his bitter experience. They follow him and see him entering his house.

Seeing that Jaffar and his men are still pursuing them, Aflatoon knocks on Alibaba’s door and seeks his help. Alibaba agrees. There is another fight(!) before the soldiers finally go away. Razia asks what the commotion is about. She welcomes the guests Marjina and Aflatoon and requests them to stay in the house. Aflatoon meets Gulbadan and we know this is the beginning of a comedy side plot.

Alibaba takes Aflatoon with him to cut wood. Due to Aflatoon’s antics, one of the donkeys meant for loading the wood runs away. Alibaba rushes after the donkey. He hears the sound of Khulja Sim Sim and the thieves coming out of the cave on their horses. Then there is a shout “Band Ho Ja Sim Sim” and the opening closes as the group leaves.

A curious Alibaba goes to the entrance of the cave and utters the same words. There is a rumbling sound as the “door” opens. We see a huge lever being operated by men who are bound in chains. So, there is no magic involved (?) in the opening and closing of the opening!

Alibaba wonders what lies ahead. There is some acid like fuming liquid at the bottom. You need to cross a bridge to enter another chamber. This chamber is filled with unimaginable riches. A treasure trove of gold, silver, jewels, coins, you name it.

He realizes this is hideout of the thieves, who store their looted treasure here. He gathers as much as he can in 2 sacks and loads them on his donkey. He knows that too much of greed is not good.

Upon returning home, he enjoys a hearty meal cooked by Marjina. Later, he shows the riches he has brought home. Razia asks him the source and Alibaba says it is a gift from God. Days pass. Razia proposes that Marjina get married to her brother. Marjina has started liking him but Alibaba is in no mood to agree. He thinks of Marjina only as a servant, a cook.

News have reached Qasim and his wife about the riches in Alibaba’s house. They are curious to find the source of this sudden wealth. They hatch a plan to invite him to their house along with Razia.

Qasim pressures Alibaba to share the secret with him. Finally Alibaba gives in and tells him the truth about the secret cave and treasure. Having got the information, Qasim orders the soldiers to throw Alibaba in the dungeon and execute him the next day. Qasim leaves immediately in search of the cave.

Jaffar proceeds to arrest Alibaba but is saved by Marjina. The soldiers attack them and Qasim’s wife is killed in the ensuing action. Alibaba and the others manage to escape safely.

Qasim arrives in the secret cave and collects as much riches as he can. But he forgets the magic words to be uttered for coming out of the cave. He tries different phrases but they do not work. Unfortunately, the thieves arrive and they realize the presence of an intruder. Qasim is caught and beheaded by the thieves.

Alibaba knows his brother had gone to the cave. He reaches there but is too late. He brings back the two pieces of Qasim’s body. But the body cannot be buried with a detached head.

Marjina informs she knows just the right person to sew the head to the body and that is Mustafa Baba, the tailor. She goes to meet Mustafa with a bag of coins. She blindfolds him and brings him to Alibaba’s house. On the way, Mustafa hears a fakir singing so he knows the locality he is being taken to. He sews up Qasim’s head to the body and is taken back home blindfolded. But before that, Mustafa shrewdly puts a chalk mark on Alibaba’s door by diverting Maarjina’s attention. He is confident of locating the house the next day.

The thieves come to know about the sewn up body when they hear Mustafa boasting and enjoying the money he had earned from that job. They threaten him to reveal the house he was taken to. He says he was blindfolded but he can locate the house because of the cross mark. Marjina overhears this. She rushes and makes similar marks on all the houses in the neighbourhood. The thieves arrive and realize they have been fooled and are dealing with a clever adversary.

But eventually, the chief finds that Alibaba is the man he is looking for. Alibaba has grown rich overnight. He is now the new Amir. The chief makes plans to visit Alibaba posing as an oil merchant. His gang of thieves will be hiding in oil jars. This leads to the climax involving a song, dance and a chase sequence in Hindi film style.

The Music

The songs are fine, all composed by Usha Khanna. But none of them are memorable. One song, which I had heard on the radio Aaja Baahon Mein Dil Ki Raahon Mein is sung by Mukesh and Suman Kalyanpur. Strangely, the credits do not list her as one of the singers.

My Thoughts

The story diverts from the original. Some key points are missing. Like Alibaba requesting for the weighing scales from Qasim for weighing the riches. Qasim’s wife applies some wax beneath the scales and finds a gold coin stuck to it. Also, the climax is changed.

Overall, it has the look of a low budget film. The sets are patchy. There are many songs which don’t contribute much to the story. There are hardly any big names in the cast. This was one of Sanjeev Kumar’s earlier films before he became a big name and did roles suited to his calibre. The story is a classic but unfortunately the film fails to live up to the expectations.

Fatakdi (1980)

My Reviews, ,

Women filmmakers are a rarity in cinema. More so in regional cinema. In Marathi, Sushma Shiromanee stood out when she successfully produced a few films and cracked that elusive formula of delivering a hit film. She also directed one Hindi and 2 Marathi films.

Fatakdi is an out and out masala film. It uses time tested elements like lost and found, revenge, romance, comedy, not to forget hit songs and special appearances by Hindi stars including Rekha to catch the audience’s attention. There is never a dull moment. The film is directed by Datta Keshav.

The Plot

The plot is predictable. The film starts with a court hearing concerning a land dispute between Narayan (Dr. Shreeram Lagoo) and Damu Sawkar (Nilu Phule). Damu Sawkar is accused of forcibly grabbing the land. Both parties present their claims in this regard. The judge rules in Narayan’s favour. An overjoyed Narayan goes to the local temple to seek the diety’s blessings. There he meets Damu Sawkar with his henchmen including Viju Khote. Damu Sawkar can’t accept the verdict which he treats as his insult. He considers himself the ruler of the village and things need to happen as per his will.

Narayan arrives home to share the good news with his wife Laxmi (Usha Kiran). Laxmi is desperately awaiting his return. They have 2 children. The son is Shirpa and daughter Indi. Laxmi is relieved to hear the news. They start cultivating the land and are blessed with a good crop.

The couple sing a duet Dharni aaichi maya while sharing this blissful moment. Also, Diwali is around the corner, and Narayan celebrates it with full force that year. On the other hand, Damu Sawkar is still licking his wounds and unable to enjoy the festive period. He is hoping to teach Narayan a lesson soon.

Out of frustration, Damu Swakar tries to damage the standing crop in Narayan’s field. But Narayan intervenes and asks him to leave.

As this is a lost and found drama, there has to be a subplot involving a birth mark or tattoo for easy identification. In this case it is a tattoo on Indi’s arm. Point to be noted!

Back to the story. A major tragedy awaits the happy family. Events happen in quick succession. Damu Sawkar goes after Narayan and forcefully tries to get the land documents signed and transferred in his favour. When Narayan refuses, he tortures him and eventually kills him. Shirpa tries to intervene and manages to kill Viju Khote with an axe. The mother Laxmi takes the blame on herself and is arrested by the police. She asks Shirpa to run away. The boy loiters in the mountains where he is captured by some dacoits. The sardar of the dacoits adopts him and names him Ranu Singh.

And what about Indi, the daughter? The poor girl is left alone wandering when she meets a childless couple engaged in the Kadaklaxmi tradition. They decide to take her with them. They will return her if the parents are traced and come looking for her. Of course, this doesn’t happen and she is brought up like their daughter.

So Indi grows up as a Kadaklaxmi performer. She sings, dances, whips herself and earns money for her family. She is now called Fatakdi (Sushma Shiromanee) and lives up to her name which means firecracker. 🧨

She gives her introduction through the song…Aali Fatakdi.

Other characters have grown up too. Her brother Shirpa / Ranu is a successful dacoit (played by Yeshwant Dutt). He is the new sardar after his foster father passes away.

Damu Sawkar’s son is Ramesh Deo. He is as spoilt as he can be. He has his eyes on Fatakdi but she knows how to keep him at bay. Pratap is getting married soon. The dacoits crash the marriage celebrations. Fearless Fatakdi tries to challenge them single handedly. She comes face to face with Ranu alias Shirpa. She doesn’t know he is her brother and vice versa. He praises her courage and leaves.

A random character called Bawlya (Ashok Saraf) is introduced suddenly. He behaves like an idiot and wants to be romantically involved with Fatakdi.

In between we see some masala elements popping up. There is a Ganpati celebration song (Ganpatichya mhora saare naachu gaauya) featuring Bhagwan and Kaajal Kiran in special appearances. And later, a lavani performance by Rekha!

Laxmi is released from jail early on account of good conduct. She goes to the village. She knows she has lost her husband and children. When she visits her farmland, she blurts out it is her land. Damu Sawkar and Pratap hear this and try to shoo her off. Laxmi and Damu Sawkar recognize each other. Damu Sawkar tells her that he is the rightful owner of the land and has the documents to prove it. Laxmi refuses to accept this.

Pratap pulls and pushes Laxmi and attempts to throw her out. Fatakdi steps in and saves Laxmi. She insults Pratap and takes Laxmi to her house for a meal. Fatakdi’s foster mother (played by Leela Gandhi) shouts at her for bringing strangers to the house and feeding them. A helpless Laxmi leaves quietly and settles in the temple.

Laxmi and Fatakdi meet again. They can feel the unknown connection between them. Laxmi tells her about Damu Sawkar and the document he claims to have in his possession. Fatakdi promises to serach for it. For this, she goes to Damu Sawkar’s house. She cooks up a story to convince the father and son that she is on their side. She is successful and is employed as a servant under the supervision of Pratap’s wife (played by Maya Jadhav).

One day, Damu Sawkar and Pratap’s wife leave to attend a wedding. Pratap is alone and waiting for this opportunity. He tries to molest Fatakdi but Ranu the dacoit arrives suddenly. He remembers Damu Sawkar very well and has been itching to seek revenge for his father’s murder all these years. He shoots Pratap. At the same time, the police arrive. The police inspector is none other than Bawlya. He was behaving like a simpleton but was actually on the lookout for the dacoits.

There are more songs as the story moves towards the climax…Herla ga herla ga and Aai mazi devi mazhi.

What will happen next? Will the family connections be revealed? Will Ranu be arrested by the police? And what about Damu Sawkar? Will justice prevail?

The Music

The music did well. Jagdish Khebudkar (lyricist) and Bal Palsule (music director) team up for some hit numbers. Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle lend their voices. The evergreen song is undoubtedly Kutha kutha jayache honeymoonla featuring Rekha.

My Thoughts

Sushma Shiromanee is the gutsy producer as well as the lead actress. She performs the role of Fatakdi in full spirit and is a complete package. The production values are good. She shrewdly casts many well known names like Shreeram Lagoo, Nilu Phule, Usha Kiran, Ramesh Deo, Yeshwant Dutt and Ashok Saraf who perform on expected lines. The appearance of the Hindi stars is a good strategy and adds that extra flavour. Overall, Fatakdi is an entertaining film and credit to Sushma Shiromanee for her efforts.

Ek Dil Sao Afsane (1963)

My Reviews,

I would term some movies as deceptive. The packaging is good but the product is not. That is the case with Ek Dil Sao Afsane (EDSA). When you see Raj Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman and Lalita Pawar’s names in the acting department, and Shankar Jaikishan as the music directors, your expectations increase. EDSA is a decent film but could have been better. Today. the film is remembered only for some of its songs if not more.

The Plot

EDSA is the story of 2 lovers. Shekhar (Raj Kapoor) is an eligible bachelor. He is also very rich. His naani (maternal grandmother) played by Lalita Pawar dotes on him. Apparently,  his parents have passed away and naani is his only close relation. Naani has one mission in life. Shekhar has to marry and “produce” a son at the earliest. The family needs to have a male heir. For this, she insists on matching the horoscope of every prospective bride with that of Shekhar’s. If there is no possibility of a son’s arrival, the proposal is immediately rejected.

Shekhar doesn’t seem to do anything apart from attending parties and enjoying his bachelor status. He sings Mast nazar dekh idhar in a party. The party is full of women looking for eligible bachelors for their daughters. Seems the market is quite competitive. They approach Shekhar with a list of all that they will offer him as dowry. Shekhar informs them about his Naani’s precondition for marriage. The girl needs to deliver a male child else the marriage is off!

After the party, he goes with one of the girls in her car. While reversing, the car hits a girl riding a bicycle. This is Sunita (Waheeda Rehman). She is a salesgirl who works for Navbahar Cosmetics. The girl insults Sunita who slaps her in return. Shekhar is super impressed by the salesgirl – he has found his match. He tries to flirt with her but she shoos him off and leaves.

Shekhar and Sunita meet again on a train journey. Sunita is going for her friend Neelu’s wedding. Shekhar boards the same train compartment. He is surprised to see her and makes some poetic talk about separation and uniting. She responds to him sarcastically.

Upon reaching home, his Naani tells him he has to get married soon and gift her a toy – i.e. his son. There is no dearth of proposals and she is consulting astrologers to match the horoscopes and move ahead. Shekhar’s aunt (mausi) Sulochana (Sulochana Chatterjee) comes to visit them. Her daughter Neelu (Uma) is getting married. Shekhar and Neelu are very close and he gets heavily involved in the marriage activities.

He is surprised to find Sunita attending the marriage. He tries to impress her with his irritating (but endearing(?)) antics. During the sangeet, she performs a dance as he sings Sunoji suno hamari bhi suno. Later, Shekhar has a direct talk with Sunita about their marriage. She has started liking him too and they agree to get married. Its time for a dreamy romantic song O jaadugar pyar ke ye bata.

The only hurdle is Naani and her precondition for marriage. Naani meets Sunita. Sunita tells her she is an orphan. Naani is ready to accept her wholeheartedly. But she is in for a shock. The astrologer informs her that the couple will never be able to bear a child. Naani is appalled and tells Shekhar that he cannot marry Sunita. Shekhar pleads with her but she does not agree. He rebels against her and goes to meet Sunita.

Sunita sings the title song. They get married and settle down happily in his friend’s house, who has 4 children. Shekhar sings a romantic song Kuchh Sher Sunata Hoon Main. With no access to naani’s money, the couple is finding it hard to make ends meet.

By coincidence, Shekhar and Sunita get a job in the same law firm. Happily, they sing a romantic duet Tum hi tum ho. Sunita’s boss is Jagdish Raj, who falls for when she lies that she is not married.

Back home, Naani is not keeping well. She has no plan to reconcile with Shekhar and has decided to donate all her property and head for Kashi. She sends a family friend cum well wisher Chintamani to Mumbai to get her will prepared. As expected it is the same law firm where Shekhar is working. Shekhar brings Chintamani to his house. He sees Sunita holding a child. This is the son of Shekhar’s friend. Chintamani wrongly assumes this is Shekhar’s son and informs the same to Naani upon his return. Naani is overjoyed to hear the news. She rushes to Mumbai to see her great grandson. She also decides to make a new will with Shekhar as the beneficiary.

Naani arrives as planned. Shekhar continues with the deception and presents his friend’s baby as his own. His mind is on the money he will be entitled to.

Coincidentally, Shekhar’s friend has been transferred to New Delhi. He is leaving for New Delhi on the same day with his family. Shekhar is in a dilemma. He arranges for a “baby on rent” and brings the baby to his house. The baby’s mother also comes with him pretending to be a servant.

The drama, deception and confusion continues. Naani extends her stay unexpectedly. The baby’s mother makes extreme demands for keeping her mouth shut. Sunita begs Shekhar to tell Naani the truth. Will Shekhar agree? Will Naani figure out the truth? All is sorted with a twist in the climax.

The Music

Shankar Jaikishan deliver some nice tunes. Sunoji suno and the title song is famous. The surprise song is Tum hi tum ho as it has Rafi singing for Raj Kapoor when Mukesh had become his regular voice. Overall, the music is not that memorable when compared with other offerings from Shankar Jaikishan.

My Thoughts

Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman are great actors, sadly their chemistry is not very effective in this film. Lalita Pawar appears in a predictable role. The film appears to be a comedy but falters in between. The hero’s character only cares about money and goes all out to deceive his grandmother. The heroine doesn’t have much of a say. The solution offered in the climax is not convincing. Overall, the high expectations are unfortunately not fulfilled.