Көшпенділер: Тағдыр мен бақыттың жолы

Its blend of action, comedy, music and drama, as well as memorable quotes, made it highly successful at the Russian box office, and it retains high domestic approval. Its main theme song, "Your Noble Highness Lady Fortune" (Ваше благородие, госпожа Удача, music: Isaac Schwartz, lyrics: Bulat Okudzhava, performed by Pavel Luspekayev) became a hit. The film is watched by Russian cosmonauts before most space launches as a good luck ritual.

The setting is the east shore of the Caspian Sea (modern Turkmenistan) where the Red Army soldier Fyodor Sukhov has been fighting the Civil War in Russian Asia for a number of years. The movie opens with a panoramic shot of a bucolic Russian countryside. Katerina Matveyevna, Sukhov's beloved wife, is standing in a field. Awakening from this daydream, Sukhov is walking through the Central Asian desert – a stark contrast to his homeland. Abdullah's gang members carry rifles similar to the one shown on top.]] Weaponry is explicitly used to characterize and develop the characters. Sayid is found barehanded in the beginning; he acquires all his weapons through the film and uses them skillfully. Sukhov gives him a knife, which Sayid later throws to kill an attacker. He shoots a carbine taken from a bandit, whom he strangled using rope as a lasso (while helping Sukhov). The film received no awards during the Soviet era. With 34.5 million viewers, it was one of the most popular films of 1970. It was nominated for the 1970 USSR State Prize, but lost to By the Lake. The latter one was seen as "ideologically correct", while the first one was seen as pure entertainment, i. e., of low ideological value.

In 1998, the creators of the film were awarded the 1997 Russian Federation State Prize in Literature and Arts, nearly 30 years after the film left the silver screen.

Many popular sayings have entered the Russian language from the film. The first is by far the best known. The Orient is a delicate matter (Восток — дело тонкое); refers to any complicated or difficult matter, not necessarily "oriental" in nature. I feel ashamed for the great state (Мне за державу обидно); used in the face of failure of the state or collapse of its institutions. This phrase, among other things, was used as the title of several books by notable writers. Are there questions? No, there aren't! (Вопросы есть? Вопросов нет! ); refers to the commanding tone of an officer that will not hear objections to his command. This line was reused in the 2005 Afghanistan war epic The 9th Company. Customs gives the green light (Таможня дает добро! ); refers to any type of approval, especially reluctant approval. His grenades are the wrong caliber (Да гранаты у него не той системы); refers to or to comment upon any kind of excuse, particularly a pathetic one. The line wasn't scripted, but improvised by the actor. It is similar to the English "The wrong type of snow"
Gyulchatai, show your sweet face (Гюльчатай, открой личико); a popular Russian saying for boys to say to girls. Gyulchatai has become a placeholder name for a Central Asian girl. I'm writing to you again, dear Katerina Matveyevna (Обратно пишу вам, любезная Катерина Матвеевна ); used as a prelude to a letter humorously emphasizing its unusually high volume of detail or frequency of mail exchange. Mahmud, light the fire (Махмуд, поджигай! ); used when embarking cheerfully on some difficult potentially dangerous mission. I'm unlucky in death, maybe I'll be lucky in love (Не везёт мне в смерти, повезёт в любви); main song refrain.