Hatimtai (1956)

An Arabian Nights tale first filmed by Prafulla Ghosh as a silent 4-part serial in 1929. It tells, in Gevacolor, the story of Hatim who travels in the poverty-stricken Muflisganj, giving clothes and alms to the needy. He meets the Munir Shami, the impoverished prince of Kharzaman. The prince tells Hatim his story: the prince was to marry the daughter of Shah Saudagar Barzukh, but when the shah had cast his ‘evil eye’ on the fairy Gulnar the fairy turned to stone, promising that the shah’s own daughter will also turn to stone on the day of her marriage unless someone solves the Seven Riddles that will free both Gulnar and the princess. Hatim, after many adventures in enchanted woods meeting fairies and giants, solves riddles like ‘What I experience once I want to experience again’ or ‘Do good deeds and throw them in the water’.