Alibaba and the Forty Thieves) is a 1956 Indian Tamil-language fantasy swashbuckler film directed and produced by T. R. Sundaram of Modern Theatres.

The film stars M. G. Ramachandran and P. Bhanumathi, with K. Sarangapani, P. S. Veerappa, K. A. Thangavelu, M. N. Rajam, Sushila, Vidhyavathi, and M. G. Chakrapani in supporting roles.

Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum was shot in Gevacolor and is notable for being the first Tamil and South Indian full-length colour film.

It is a remake of the 1954 Hindi film Alibaba Aur 40 Chor, itself based on the story Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves from One Thousand and One Nights.

It was a milestone in Ramachandran's career and became a success at the box office which was largely attributed to it being the first full-length colour film in South India.

Marziana and her sidekick Dowlath find refuge in Alibaba's house who lives with his sister Ayisha and servant Bulbul.

When Alibaba goes to cut wood, he chances upon the cavernous hideout of Abu Hussain, the leader of forty dacoits, and overhears the secret code to enter and exit the cave.

After the dacoits leave, Alibaba uses the code word, enters the hideout, and takes some of the cave's wealth which he uses to help poor people nearby.

After cunningly obtaining the secret of the dacoits' cave, Kasim sentences Alibaba to death, falsely accusing him of attempted murder.

Having his men hide inside barrels, Abu Hussain comes to Alibaba's house disguised as an oil merchant seeking shelter for the night.

While she dances at a banquet Alibaba hosts in honour of the guest, Dowlath and Bulbul roll the barrels one by one into the waterfall as per the plan.

[8] A. J. Dominic was signed as the film's art director, while W. R. Subba Rao, L. Balu, and Murasoli Maran were in charge of the cinematography, editing, and dialogues respectively.

For changes of scenes, irises and wipes were used which, according to Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema by Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, added a "sense of anachronism" to the film.

[33] In one particular scene, Ramachandran objected to the dialogue where he had to swear in the name of Allah, as he was then associated with the rationalist Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

[30][34] For the scene where Bulbul (M. N. Rajam) and Dowlath (K. Sarangapani) roll the barrels containing the hiding dacoits one by one into the waterfall, Sundaram finalised Hogenakkal Falls as the shooting spot.

[41] Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum portrayed him as a swashbuckling action hero who also has a Robin Hood-like agenda of serving the poor and the downtrodden with the treasure he finds in the cave.

[41] Udhav Naig of The Hindu noted that through Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum and several other films, Ramachandran "posited a cleverly-crafted image of being one among the working classes and poorer sections, raising a fist against injustice.

"[42] Rajadhyaksha and Willemen, in Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, compare it to Ramachandran's other films like Malaikkallan (1954) and Madurai Veeran (1956) as they are also Robin Hood-inspired, and because Bhanumathi plays a damsel in distress in them.

[43] The French website Jol-Press compared it to Manthiri Kumari because both films feature Ramachandran as a Flynn-inspired hero.

[57] The songs received positive reviews with "Azhagaana Ponnu Naan", "Masila Unmai Kathale", and "Ullaasa Ulagam" becoming popular among the masses.

Ramachandran as the swash-buckling Alibaba, Bhanumathi as the singing-heroine ... and Thangavelu as the comedian was the main factor contributing to its huge success."

[63] Sachi Sri Kantha felt that the Gevacolor looked somewhat "washed out" and "inferior" to other colouring processes like Eastmancolor and versions of Fujicolor.

[66][67] Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum had a limited re-release on 14 April 2011, during the festive occasion of Puthandu (Tamil New Year) in Chennai.

[70] Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum became a "landmark" in Ramachandran's acting career,[71] and set a "precedent for many buccaneer-style characters" he would portray in his later films.

Janagaraj's character Sethupathi in Rajadhi Raja (1989) sings a portion of "Ullasa Ulagam", before meeting with a fate similar to that of Ghulam in Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum.