''Ajooba'' () is a 1990

superhero film Superhero film/movie is a film genre categorized by the presence of superhero characters, individuals with extraordinary abilities who are dedicated to fighting crime, saving the world, or helping the innocent. It is sometimes considered a sub ...

, produced and directed by

Shashi Kapoor Shashi Kapoor (pronounced �əʃi kəpuːɾ born Balbir Raj Kapoor; 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017) was an Indian actor and producer known primarily for his work in Hindi films. He is considered as one of the greatest and most successful acto ...

and co-directed by Soviet filmmaker Gennadi Vasilyev. An Indian-

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

co-production, it is loosely based on Arabic folklore such as ''

One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition ( ...

''. The film had a

Russian language Russian is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language belonging to the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. It is one of the four extant East Slavic languages, and is ...

version released in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, ''Черный принц Аджуба'' (''Black Prince Ajuba''), in 1990, before its Indian release in 1991. The film starred

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

as the titular superhero Ajooba, along with

Rishi Kapoor Rishi Kapoor (4 September 1952 – 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director, and producer who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning 50 years, he is regarded as one of the most successful and accomplished actors in Hindi cinema. ...

, Dimple Kapadia, Sonam,

Shammi Kapoor Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, �ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. Kapoor is considered one of the greatest and most s ...

Dara Singh Dara Singh Randhawa (born Deedar Singh Randhawa; 19 November 1928 – 12 July 2012) was an Indian professional wrestler, actor, director and politician. He started acting in 1952 and was the first sportsman to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha ...

, Saeed Jaffery and

Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Cinema of India, Indian cinema and Theatre of India, theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himsel ...

in pivotal roles. Made on a budget of 8

crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...

, it was the most expensive Indian film made until then. Ajooba released worldwide on 12 April 1991, on the Eid weekend. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances, special effects and music, but criticised the story, screenplay and direction.

Plot

The

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

kingdom of Baharistan is ruled by a kind

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

(

). All is well in the land, except that Sultan seemingly can't have any child. An evil devil-worshipping Vazir (

) seeks to usurp the throne, reviving his ''"Fauladi Shaitan"'' (a huge demon-like figure made of stone) and take over the world. Vazir instructs his maids to strangle every child born to Sultan. Finally, however, a spark of divine intervention (presented literally as a spark which descends from the heavens and enters the womb) renders the next newborn son immune to the poisons and strangulations administered by the maids. This Shehzada (''Prince'') eventually becomes ''Ajooba'' (Miracle). Sultan and his wife Malika ( Ariadna Shengelaya) kick off celebrations throughout the land. The good court magician Ameer Khan (

Saeed Jaffrey Saeed Jaffrey (8 January 1929 – 15 November 2015) was a British-Indian actor. His career covered film, radio, stage and television roles over six decades and more than 150 British, American, and Indian movies. During the 1980s and '90s, he was ...

), fondly called "Ameer Baba", the very much close friend of Sultan, recently returned from his travels to Hind (

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

), presents a magic sword to Sultan. Sultan thrusts it into a pillar (verifying its keenness) and Ameer Baba pronounces that it may be drawn out of the stone again only by a member of the royal family (rather like the

Excalibur Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may possess magical powers or be associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. E ...

). Soon after, Sultan privately discusses about the traitors in the kingdom, with Ameer Baba. Vazir overhears their discussion, eventually tricks Ameer Baba, steals his Necklace of Immortality, throws him into the dungeon, attempts to murder Sultan and his family and take over the throne. Sultan escapes with his wife and child. After a pitched battle involving magic carpets, storms and ships, Sultan is missing. Malika is blinded and the young Shehzada is washed ashore by a dolphin (whom he eventually thinks of as his mother) to a blacksmith. This blacksmith adopts the kid, trains him in all the worldly and martial arts and thus creates ''Ajooba''. In the meantime, Vazir blames Ameer Baba for Sultan's murder, takes over the throne and begins ravaging the land, always uttering his slogan ''Shaitan Zindabad'' (Long live the Devil). ''Ajooba'' is a masked rider in black (rather like Zorro) who thwarts Vazir's lackeys as they pillage the lands and harass the citizens. His plain self is Ali, an ordinary restaurateur and his chum is Hassan (

). Together they foil Vazir's evil schemes, raid his caravans and woo their girls. Ali falls for Rukhsana ( Dimple Kapadia), the daughter of Ameer Baba, returned from Hind (to rescue her imprisoned father), while Hassan's affections are for Vazir's Shehzadi Henna ( Sonam). Ajooba inflicts constant pain upon Vazir. Vazir eventually raises his ''Fauladi Shaitan'' and plans an all-out attack. The King of Hind, Karan Singh (

) brings his forces to aid Ajooba. The resulting war brings all the central characters together. Several questions are essentially resolved in the ensuing war. The climax is a panorama of demons, magical horses and donkeys, a full-scale combat between Vazir's army and the Hind army, enchanted swords and a final revelation about the true identity of Ajooba.

Cast

Production

The film was made in the wake of '' Alibaba Aur 40 Chor'' (1980), an earlier ''

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition () ...

'' themed Indian-Soviet production (based on the story of

Ali Baba "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" () is a folk tale in Arabic added to the ''One Thousand and One Nights'' in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard it from Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab. As one of the most popu ...

) that became a success in both India and the Soviet Union. The film had a budget of , which was amongst the highest at the time. This film was produced in association with Gorky Film Studio in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. There are several

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n stars whose speech is not in sync with Hindi dialogues. Supposedly,

worked in this film gratis, as a favour to his longtime collaborator and friend

Soundtrack

Box office

The film was a financial success in the Soviet Union, where it was released as ''Черный принц Аджуба'' (''Black Prince Ajuba'') in July 1990. It was the last successful collaboration between the Indian and Soviet film industries. In India, the film was commercially unsuccessful at the box office.

References

External links

* 1990 directorial debut films 1990 films 1990s Hindi-language films 1990s Indian films 1990 multilingual films 1990s Russian films 1990s Russian-language films 1990s superhero films 1990s Urdu-language films Fictional Afghan people Films about dolphins Films about pets Films scored by Laxmikant–Pyarelal Indian fantasy action films Indian multilingual films Indian superhero films Soviet fantasy films Soviet action films Soviet multilingual films Soviet superhero films {{1990s-USSR-film-stub