Shatranj Ke Khilari | |
---|---|
Directed by | Satyajit Ray |
Written by | Satyajit Ray Shama Zaidi Javed Siddiqi |
Screenplay by | Satyajit Ray |
Based on | Shatranj ke Khiladi by Munshi Premchand |
Produced by | Suresh Jindal [1] [2] |
Starring | Sanjeev Kumar Saeed Jaffrey Shabana Azmi Richard Attenborough Farida Jalal Amjad Khan David Abraham Victor Banerjee Farooque Shaikh Tom Alter Leela Mishra Samarth Narain Bhudo Advani |
Narrated by | Amitabh Bachchan |
Cinematography | Soumendu Roy |
Edited by | Dulal Dutta |
Music by | Satyajit Ray |
Release date |
|
Running time | 129 minutes |
Country | India |
Languages | Hindi Urdu English |
Budget | est.₹ 20 lakh (est.₹ 5.66 crore as of 2022) [3] |
Shatranj Ke Khilari, also subtitled and later internationally released with the translated title The Chess Players, is a 1977 Indian film written and directed by Satyajit Ray, based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name.
Amjad Khan plays the role of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, Nawab of Awadh, and Richard Attenborough enacts the role of General James Outram. The main cast includes actors Sanjeev Kumar and Saeed Jaffrey as the chess players. It also has Shabana Azmi, Farooque Shaikh, Farida Jalal, David Abraham, and Tom Alter. It has Amitabh Bachchan as the narrator.
It was India's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 51st Academy Awards, but did not receive a nomination. [4]
This is the only full-length Hindi feature film of filmmaker Satyajit Ray. He later made a short Hindi film for TV named Sadgati , another adaptation of Munshi Premchand's short story.
The film is set in 1856 on the eve of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The British are about to annex the Oudh State (also spelled Awadh). The daily life of two wealthy men who are devoted to chess is presented against the background of scheming officials of the British East India Company, the history of its relations with the Indian ruler of Awadh, and the ruler's devotion both to his religious practice and the pursuit of pleasure.
The film shows in parallel the historical drama of the Indian princely state of Awadh (whose capital is Lucknow) and its Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah who is overthrown by the British, alongside the story of two noblemen who are obsessed with shatranj, i.e. chess.
Wajid Ali Shah, the ruling Nawab of Awadh, is a languid artist and poet, no longer in command of events and unable to effectively oppose the British demand for his throne. Parallel to this wider drama is the personal (and humorous) tale of two rich, indolent noblemen of this kingdom, Mirza Sajjad Ali and Mir Roshan Ali. Inseparable friends, the two nobles are passionately obsessed with the game of shatranj (chess). Both effectively neglect their wives and fail to fight the takeover of their kingdom by the East India Company. Instead, they escape their harangued wives and responsibilities, fleeing from Lucknow to play chess in a tiny village untouched by greater events. Ray's basic theme in the film is the message that the self-centredness, detachment and cowardice of India's ruling classes catalysed the annexation of Awadh by a handful of British officials, among whom Captain Weston, a British soldier in love with Urdu poetry, is also worth noting.
In the last scene, after which Mir shoots at Mirza and complains out loud "(If you die) I won't have a partner to play chess with", Mirza responds to him "but you have one in front of you!" (thus making him understand that he forgives him). He finally concludes that "after nightfall, we will go back home. We both need darkness to hide our faces."
The Chess Players employed stars of the Bombay cinema (Sanjeev Kumar , Amjad Khan, Shabana Azmi and Amitabh Bachchan as a narrator) together with British actors (such as Sir Richard Attenborough).
The film was well received upon its release. [5] Despite the film's limited budget, The Washington Post critic Gary Arnold gave it a positive review; "He [Ray] possesses what many overindulged Hollywood filmmakers often lack: a view of history". [6] According to Martin Scorsese, "This film deals with a moment of incredible change in Indian history and is told from a comical view that is a hallmark of Ray’s work. Watching it again, I realize this is what it must really feel like to live through a moment of historic change. It feels this big and tragic at the same time." [7]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1978 | Berlin International Film Festival | Golden Bear | Satyajit Ray | Nominated |
1978 | National Film Awards | Best Feature Film in Hindi | Won | |
Best Cinematography (Color) | Soumendu Roy | Won | ||
1978 | Filmfare Awards | Best Film (Critics) | Satyajit Ray | Won |
1979 | Best Film | Suresh Jindal | Nominated | |
Best Director | Satyajit Ray | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Saeed Jaffrey |
The Chess Players was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010. [8]
Awadh, known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a historical region in northern India, now constituting the northeastern portion of Uttar Pradesh. It is roughly synonymous with the ancient Kosala region of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain scriptures.
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi film industry has spanned over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist parallel cinema, though her work extended to mainstream films as well as a number of international projects. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several genres. She has won a record of five National Film Awards for Best Actress, in addition to six Filmfare Awards and several international accolades. The Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri in 1998 and the Padma Bhushan in 2012.
Sanjeev Kumar was an Indian actor. He is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters. He acted in genres ranging from romantic dramas to thrillers, and was voted the seventh greatest actor of Indian cinema of all time in a poll conducted by Rediff.com. His double role in the film Angoor was listed among the 25 best acting performances of Indian cinema by Forbes India on the occasion of celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema.
Amjad Khan was an Indian renowned actor and film director. He worked in over 132 films in a career spanning nearly twenty years. He was the son of the actor Jayant. He gained popularity for villainous roles in mostly Hindi films, the most famous among his enacted roles being Gabbar Singh in the 1975 cult classic film Sholay and of Dilawar in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978).
Jaya Bachchan is an Indian actress and politician. She is serving as member of the parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party since 2004. Having worked in Hindi films and Bengali films, she is noted for reinforcing a natural style of acting in both mainstream and arthouse cinema. A recipient of several accolades, she has won a record nine Filmfare Awards and the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour awarded by the Government of India.
Mirza Wajid Ali Shah was the eleventh and last King of Awadh, holding the position for 9 years, from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856.
Farooq Sheikh was an Indian actor, philanthropist and television presenter. He was best known for his work in Hindi films from 1973 to 1993 and for his work in television between 1988 and 2002. He returned to acting in films in 2008 and continued to do so until his death on 28 December 2013. His major contribution was in Parallel Cinema or the New Indian Cinema. He worked with directors like Satyajit Ray, Sai Paranjpye, Muzaffar Ali, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Ayan Mukherjee and Ketan Mehta.
Shatranj Ke Khilari is a 1924 Hindi short-story written by Munshi Premchand. Premchand also made the Urdu version titled "Shatranj ki bazi".
The Nawab of Awadh or Nawab of Oudh was the title of the rulers of Kingdom of Awadh in northern India during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Nawabs of Awadh belonged to an Iranian dynasty of Sayyid origin from Nishapur, Iran. In 1724, Nawab Sa'adat Khan established the Kingdom of Awadh with their capital in Faizabad and Lucknow.
Wazir often refers to:
Javed Siddiqui is a Hindi and Urdu screenwriter, dialogue writer and playwright from India. He has written over 50 storylines, screenplays and dialogues.
Tinu Anand is an Indian actor, director, writer and producer in Hindi cinema and a few Telugu and Tamil films.
The 26th Filmfare Awards were held in 1979.
The 25th Filmfare Awards were held in 1978.
Chaturanga is an ancient Indian game, the ancestor of chess.
Amma is an Indian crime drama television series that premiered on June 25, 2016, on Zee TV. It was created by Farhn P. Zamma. The show is based on the female underworld don of Mumbai, Jenabai Daruwali.
Bhudo Advani was an Indian character actor and comedian. He started his acting career in theatre with the notion of spreading awareness on social issues. He came to Bombay on the advice of an Ajanta Cinetone representative and was offered a role in the film Afzal, also called Hoor-E-Haram in 1933, directed by Mohan Bhavnani. He later joined Sagar Movietone, becoming an important fixture in most films produced by them. He turned from character roles to comedy performing in Dr. Madhurika (1935), directed by Sarvottam Badami, Deccan Queen (1936) and Do Diwaane (1936), by C. Luhar.
I For India: The Concert for our Times, or simply I for India, was a fundraiser concert created by filmmakers Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar to help raise funds for the India COVID Response Fund (ICRF) managed by GiveIndia. The concert featured some of the biggest actors, musicians, singers, sportspeople and industrialists in India and around the world, coming together to support COVID-19 relief work in India. Produced by Fountainhead MKTG, the concert was live-streamed on Facebook on 3 May 2020 at 7.30pm IST.
Kaukab Quder Sajjad Ali Meerza was an Indian scholar of the Urdu language