Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum (1956 film)

Lore & Background

The film revolves around Alibaba, a woodcutter who becomes wealthy after finding a secret treasure cave, but must keep his source of wealth a secret to lead a peaceful life. The plot follows Alibaba's rescue of the dancer Marziana from the tyrant Sher Khan, his discovery of the dacoits' cave, and his conflict with his brother Kasim and the dacoit leader Abu Hussain. The film ends with Alibaba killing Abu Hussain, rescuing Marziana, and marrying her.

Reader's Guide

Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum is historically significant as the first full-length colour film in Tamil and South Indian cinema, shot in Gevacolor. It was a milestone in M. G. Ramachandran's career and became a box office success, largely attributed to its colour format. The film won the Film Fans' Association Award for Best Tamil Film. Its soundtrack, composed by Susarla Dakshinamurthi, re-used many songs from the Hindi original. The film's production involved shooting at Mysore and Yercaud, with indoor sets and some horse riding sequences. The film's legacy includes its role in popularizing colour cinema in South India and its contribution to Ramachandran's stardom.

Did You Know?

• The film was shot in Gevacolor and is the first full-length colour film in Tamil.
• M. G. Ramachandran was paid ₹12,500 for his role, the final of his three-film contract with Modern Theatres.
• The jewels and gold coins in the film were made of painted wood and plaster.

A Colourful Milestone for South Indian Cinema

Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum occupies a singular position in Indian film history as the first full-length colour feature produced in Tamil and, by extension, across all of South India. Captured in the Gevacolor process, the picture reached theatres on 14 January 1956, timed to the Pongal harvest festival, and the visual spectacle it delivered was entirely new to regional audiences. The box-office triumph that followed was widely credited to this technical first, giving viewers an experience no local-language film had previously offered. The soundtrack also captured the public imagination, and the production went on to receive the Film Fans' Association Award for Best Tamil Film. For Modern Theatres, the investment in colour technology proved a defining success, establishing fresh production standards in the industry and foreshadowing the wave of colour filmmaking that would soon transform South Indian studios.

From Arabian Nights to the Tamil Screen

The narrative lineage of Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum traces back to the beloved tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves drawn from One Thousand and One Nights. The 1956 Tamil feature is a direct remake of the 1954 Hindi picture Alibaba Aur 40 Chor, whose strong reception led Modern Theatres to purchase the adaptation rights. It also stands as the second major Tamil-language treatment of the story, following a 1941 film of the same name that had approached the material as a comedy, whereas this version commits fully to action and swashbuckling adventure. The story credit belongs to Modern Theatres' in-house Story Department. Founder T. R. Sundaram assumed both the producing and directing responsibilities. Principal photography was carried out at locations in Mysore and Yercaud. Susarla Dakshinamurthi composed the musical score, re-using a number of songs from the Hindi original and thereby creating a sonic bridge between the two productions.

Ramachandran's Swashbucker and Bhanumathi's Breakthrough

For M. G. Ramachandran, Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum marked the final instalment of a three-film agreement with Modern Theatres, the earlier two being Manthiri Kumari (1950) and Sarvadhikari (1951). His acting fee stood at ₹12,500, a sum equivalent to roughly ₹1.4 million in 2023 purchasing power. Crucially, the screenplay was crafted to amplify his emerging swashbucking screen persona, deliberately recasting the woodcutter hero as a dashing fighter rather than the gullible simpleton of the original folktale. On the female lead, Padmini was initially attached to play Marziana but was ultimately replaced by P. Bhanumathi. For Bhanumathi, this was one of her earliest Tamil-language projects, and she embraced the part because she saw Marziana as a go-getter. In her autobiography she recalled that, having been dismissed from Missamma (1955) after only four reels of shooting, she regarded the Marziana role as a far more satisfying creative opportunity.

A Story of Treasure, Betrayal, and Triumph

The plot interweaves romance, family conflict, and high-stakes action. Alibaba, a humble woodcutter, stumbles upon the hidden cave of Abu Hussain and his band of forty dacoits, overhearing the secret code that grants entry. He uses the treasure to aid the poor, and his life transforms overnight. He has also rescued Marziana, a dancer abducted by the tyrant Sher Khan, and the two fall in love. Their newfound wealth provokes the jealousy of Alibaba's brother Kasim, who, under the manipulation of his cruel wife Salima, schemes to uncover the cave's secret. After learning the code, Kasim sentences Alibaba to death on a false charge, but Marziana cleverly frees him during the execution. Kasim's own greed leads him into the cave, where he forgets the exit phrase and is killed by the returning dacoits. Alibaba is eventually proclaimed king of Baghdad. Yet the danger persists: Abu Hussain, deducing that Alibaba discovered the cave, disguises himself as an oil merchant and infiltrates Alibaba's home. Marziana exposes him, and a final confrontation in the cave ends with Alibaba slaying the dacoit leader and rescuing Marziana, after which the couple marries and continues their charitable work.