Satyajit Ray

Untitled Document

www.worldofray.com

Home

Ray Enthusiasts

Untitled Document

Ray’s Literary Creations

Ray's Versatility

Ray Awards

Ray Gallery

Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players), 1977

General James Outram

Awards

	Production:Suresh Jindal for Devaki Chitra
	Screenplay, Music and Direction: Satyajit Ray
	Based on a story by Munshi Premchand
	Art Direction: Bansi Chandragupta
	Associate Art Director: Ashoke Bose
	Photography: Soumendu Roy
	Editing: Dulal Dutta
	Sound: Narinder Singh
	Duration: 113 mins
	Date of release in India: 29th September, 1978. Colour

	Cast: Sanjeev Kumar (Mirza Sajjad Ali), Saeed Jaffrey (Mir Roshan Ali), Amjad Khan (Wajid Ali Shah), Richard Attenborough (General Outram), Shabana Azmi (Khurshid), Farida Jalal (Nafeesa), Veena (Aulea Begum, Queen Mother), David Abraham (Munshi Nandlal), Victor Banerjee (Ali Naqi Khan, Prime Minister), Farook Shaikh (Aqil), Tom Alter (Captain Weston), Leela Mishra (Hiria), Barry John (Dr Joseph Fayrer), Samrath Narain (Kalloo), Budho Advani (Imtiaz Hussain), Kamu Mukherjee (Bookie).

Best Feature Film in Hindi, New Delhi, 1977

Best Colour Photography,Soumendu Roy, New Delhi, 1977

Mirza, Mir, Munshi Nandlal

King Wajid Ali Shah

The Story

Mirza, Kalloo, Mir

The action takes place in 1856, in Lucknow, capital of the Moslem kingdom of Oudh. The king is Wajid Ali Shah, who prefers to devote himself to the pleasures of art instead of submitting to the subterfuges and stakes of politics. He dedicates his time, sequestered in his palace, to poetry and to recitals of music and dance. The English Company of India, which is strengthening its grip on the country (in 1858 the British crown would directly take over control of the government), charges general Outtram with dethroning the king, who eventually abdicates without a fight. Parallel to this, two aristocrats ravenously indulge their passion for chess while neglecting everything else, beginning with their respective wives. We first see them playing chess in their houses, and they end up playing outdoors, without having noticed the historic changes occurring under their noses.

Contributed by DKB and AKD

Back

Top