The Afghan kingdom of "Baharistan" is ruled by a just and kind Sultan, Ali Rizwan Mohhamad Dokeer Khan. All is well in the land except that the Sultan seemingly can't have children. An evil devil-worshipping Vazir seeks to usurp the throne, revive his "fauladi shaitan", and take over the world. The Vazir instructs his maids to strangle every child born to the Sultan. Finally, however, a spark of divine intervention renders the next newborn son immune to the poisons and strangulations administered by the maids. This Shehezada eventually becomes Ajooba. The Sultan and his wife Malika kick off celebrations throughout the land. The good court magician Ameer Baba, recently returned from his travels to the "land of Hind", presents a magic sword to the Sultan. The Sultan thrusts it into a pillar, and Ameer Baba pronounces that it may be drawn out of the stone again only by a member of the royal family. Soon after, the Sultan privately discusses "traitors" with Ameer Baba. The Vazir overhears, eventually tricks Ameer Baba, steals his Necklace of Immortality, throws him into the dungeon, attempts to murder the Sultan and his family and take over the throne. The Sultan escapes with his wife and child. After a pitched battle involving magic carpets, storms and ships, the Sultan is missing, Malika is blinded, and the young Shehzada is washed ashore by a dolphin to a blacksmith. This blacksmith adopts the kid, trains him in all the worldly and martial arts, and thus creates Ajooba. In the meantime, the Vazir blames Ameer Baba for the Sultan's murder, takes over the throne, and begins ravaging the land, always uttering his slogan Shaitan Zindabaad. Ajooba is a masked rider in black who thwarts the Vazir's lackeys as they pillage the lands and harass the citizens. His plain self is Ali, an ordinary restaurateur, and his chum is Hasan. Together they foil the Vazir's evil schemes, raid his caravans, and woo their girls. Ajooba, as Ali, falls for Rukhsana, while Hasan's affections are for the Vazir's Shehzadi Henna. Ajooba inflicts constant pain upon the Vazir. The Vazir eventually raises his fauladi shaitan and plans an all-out attack. The Raja of Hind 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 the Vazir's army and the Hind army, enchanted swords, and a final revelation about the true identity of Ajooba.
Cast
Amitabh Bachchan as Ajooba/Zaffar Ali Rizwan
Rishi Kapoor as Hassan
Amrish Puri as Vazir-e-Ala
Dimple Kapadia as Rukhsana
Sonam as Henna
Saeed Jaffrey as Magician Ameer Baba
Sushma Seth as Zarina Khan
Dalip Tahil as Shahrukh
Georgi Darchiashvili as Altaf
Shammi Kapoor as Sultan Ali Rizwan Mohhamad Dokeer Khan
The film was made in the wake of Alibaba Aur 40 Chor, an earlier Arabian Nights themed Indian-Soviet production 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. There are several Russian stars whose speech is not in sync with Hindi dialogues. Supposedly Amitabh Bachchan worked in this film gratis, as a favor to his longtime collaborator and friend Shashi Kapoor.
Soundtrack
Box office
In India, the film flopped at the box office, despite managing to do a net business of. Later, by selling the satellite rights Shashi Kapoor was able to recover all his investment and subsequently it became an earner as of today. In contrast, the film was a financial success in the Soviet Union, where it was released in two parts. It was the last successful collaboration between the Indian and Soviet film industries.
