Due to copyright laws, unlicensed downloading of this series is likely to be illegal. You can however, watch the episodes online (via YouTube) at - urdustar.com/home/indian-movies/91929-alif-laila-complete-se
Alif Laila (or The Arabian Nights as it translates in English) is television show based entirely on the tales from The Arabian Nights; a collection of South Asian and Middle Eastern stories from around the 16th century. The series contains some of the following stories;
- Sinbad the Sailor and His Seven Voyages
- Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves
- Alladdin and His Magical Lamp
- The Merchant and The Genie
- The Fisherman and The Genie
- The King of Greece and The Physician Doubaan
The production company behind the series was Sagar Films, who commissioned two seasons originally aired on Indian TV networks DD National and SAB TV. The show was also aired on ARY Digital (Pakistan). The series was an Urdu broadcast and became very popular.
The tale begins with the leading character Scheherazade relating stories to his wife, Shahryar. One of the most famous ones told is that of Ali Baba, a fictional character from medieval Arabic literature, famous for shouting the phrase 'open sesame!'
The full title of the famous tale is 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'. The story has been used in theatres across the globe as a popular play or pantomime, in the UK in particular where national celebrities often play the role of Ali Baba. The original story is slightly darker than the adapted version however, which is mainly aimed at children. Popular notions and perceptions of Ali Baba infer that, thanks to the media, he is an enemy and hate figure and was the dictating leader of the 'Forty Thieves'. In this very tale however, he is actually described as an 'honest man' blessed by fortune.