Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum - the doors are closing...

Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum

Tamil, 1956

Director - T R Sundaram

Ali Baba - M G Ramachandran

Marziana - P Bhanumathi

Bulbul - M N Rajam

Ayisha - Ponvayal Sushila

Dowlath - K Sarangapani

Amir Kasam Khan - M G Chakravarthi

Mohan has no measure for timeless classics

There is something so magical about the movies of the 40s and 50s that just cannot be equalled or replaced.  This is particularly so in the West, and the actors of India knew it.  That is why some see Indian film as being mere imitation. 

But, it takes a lot to take on the persona of the West for Indian movies. The legendary Bhanumathy does so, so convincingly, in this Tamil take on the famous Arabian story. Hers is a mix of Claudette Colbert and Dorothy Lamour, feisty but feminine. We almost forget we are watching a Telugu star.

MGR is certainly swashbuckling, borrowing as he does from Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Errol Flynn.  But he doesn't want to make us forget the culture and people he represented nearly his entire adult life.  Trivia buffs can record the only word he uses to speak of the Supreme Being is Andavan. It is said he refused to speak a single Urdu word.

It will not be the language, but the strange colorization technology of the time that may discourage you from watching. But, know Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum to be a piece of history that deserves a watch.