The Chess Players

The Chess Players

129 mins | Drama | Oct. 2, 1977

It is the year 1856. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah is the king of Awadh, one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British colonialists, intent on controlling this rich land, have sent general Outram on a secret mission to clear the way for an annexation. Pressure is mounting amidst intrigue and political manoeuvres, but the Nawab whiles away his time in pursuit of pleasure and religious practice. The court is of no help either—Court nobles Mir and Mirza, ignoring the situation of their country and all their duties towards their families, spend their days playing endless games of chess. The film is based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name.

The Chess Players

129 mins | Drama | Oct. 2, 1977

The Chess Players
It is the year 1856. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah is the king of Awadh, one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British colonialists, intent on controlling this rich land, have sent general Outram on a secret mission to clear the way for an annexation. Pressure is mounting amidst intrigue and political manoeuvres, but the Nawab whiles away his time in pursuit of pleasure and religious practice. The court is of no help either—Court nobles Mir and Mirza, ignoring the situation of their country and all their duties towards their families, spend their days playing endless games of chess. The film is based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name.
IMDb rating 7.5
Producers Devki Chitra
Original title शतरंज के खिलाड़ी
Directors Ramesh Sen, Santi Chatterjee, Sandip Ray, Javed Siddiqui, Satyajit Ray
Writers Munshi Premchand, Shama Zaidi, Javed Siddiqui, Satyajit Ray

Cast

Sanjeev Kumar

as Mirza Sajjad Ali

Saeed Jaffrey

as Mir Roshan Ali

Shabana Azmi

as Khurshid

Farida Jalal

as Nafisa

Amjad Khan

as Wajid Ali Shah

Veena

as Queen Mother

Victor Banerjee

as Prime Minister

Farooq Shaikh

as Aqueel

Tom Alter

as Capt. Weston

Leela Mishra

as Hirya

Richard Attenborough

as General Outram

Samarth Narain

as Kallu

Bhudo Advani

as Abbajani

Saswati Sen

as Dancer (uncredited)

Amitabh Bachchan

as Narrator (voice)