The Chess Players (1977)
Shatranj Ke Khilari (original title)Reference View | Change View
- Not Rated
- 2h 9min
- Comedy, Drama
- 03 Oct 1977 (India)
- Movie
In 1856, two obsessed noblemen ignore everything while playing chess and fail to notice British rule extending into their Indian province.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
- 4 wins & 3 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Sanjeev Kumar | ... |
Mirza Sajjad Ali
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| Saeed Jaffrey | ... |
Mir Roshan Ali
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| Shabana Azmi | ... |
Khurshid, Mirza's wife
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| Farida Jalal | ... |
Nafisa, Mir's wife
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| Veena | ... |
Queen Mother
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| David Abraham | ... |
Munshi
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| Victor Banerjee | ... |
Prime Minister
(as Victor Bannerji)
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| Farooq Shaikh | ... |
Aqueel
(as Farooque Shaikh)
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| Tom Alter | ... |
Capt. Weston (Outram's aide de camp)
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| Leela Mishra | ... |
Hirya, Khurshid's maid
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Barry John |
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Samarth Narain | ... |
Kallu
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Bhudo Advani | ... |
Abbajani
(as Budho Advani)
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Kamu Mukherjee | ... |
(as Kamu Mukherji)
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Uttamram Nagar |
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Khairatilal Lahori |
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Pradip Shankar |
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Ashfaq Mirza |
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Amrit Bhushan Gujral |
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Ramesh Khosla |
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Shaik Farid |
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Madan Sudan |
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| Amjad Khan | ... |
Wajid Ali Shah
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| Richard Attenborough | ... |
General Outram
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| Amitabh Bachchan | ... |
Narration (voice)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Agha | ... |
Chuttan Miyan (uncredited)
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Saswati Sen | ... |
Dancer (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Satyajit Ray | ||
Written by
| Munshi Premchand | ... | (story) (as Premchand) |
| Satyajit Ray | ... | (dialogue) & |
| Shama Zaidi | ... | (dialogue) & |
| Javed Siddiqui | ... | (dialogue) (as Javed Siddiqi) |
| Satyajit Ray | ... | (screenplay) |
Produced by
| Suresh Jindal | ... | producer |
Music by
| Satyajit Ray | ||
Editing by
| Dulal Dutta | ||
Editorial Department
| Kashinath Bose | ... | assistant editor |
Art Direction by
| Bansi Chandragupta | ||
Makeup Department
| Pradip Bag | ... | assistant makeup artist |
| Ananta Das | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Bhanu Ghosh | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Santi Chatterjee | ... | assistant director (as Santi Kumar Chatterji) |
| Sandip Ray | ... | assistant director |
| Ramesh Sen | ... | assistant director |
| Javed Siddiqui | ... | special assistant (as Javed Siddiqi) |
Art Department
| Ashoke Bose | ... | associate art director |
| Kabi Dasgupta | ... | backdrops |
Sound Department
| Arun Chakraborty | ... | sound assistant (as Arun Chakravarty) |
| Dulal Das | ... | sound assistant |
| Mangesh Desai | ... | re-recording |
| Narinder Singh | ... | sound |
Special Effects by
| Joseph St. Anne | ... | associate graphics |
| Zehra Tyabji | ... | graphics |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Dilip Bannerjee | ... | assistant camera (as Dilip Bannerji) |
| Pablo Bartholomew | ... | stills |
| Purnendu Bose | ... | assistant camera |
| Sumantra Ghosal | ... | stills (as Sumantra Ghoshal) |
| Anil Ghosh | ... | assistant camera |
| Nemai Ghosh | ... | still photographer (as Nimai Ghosh) |
| Sandip Ray | ... | stills |
| Soumendu Roy | ... | camera |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Haru Das | ... | wardrobe |
| Rabab Jaffri | ... | associate costumer |
| Sitara Jaffri | ... | associate costumer |
| Saba Zaidi | ... | associate costumer |
| Shama Zaidi | ... | costumer |
Location Management
| J.N. Srivastava | ... | location management |
Music Department
| Birju Maharaj | ... | songs |
| Samir Majumdar | ... | music recording |
| Reba Muhuri | ... | songs |
Additional Crew
| Bolai Addy | ... | production assistant |
| Anil Choudhury | ... | production executive (as Anil Chowdhury) |
| Uma Da Cunha | ... | liaison / publicist |
| Trailokya Das | ... | production assistant |
| Ana Maria de Souza | ... | office management (as Ana Maria De Souza) |
| Gitanjali | ... | dances |
| Birju Maharaj | ... | dances composed and choreographed by |
| Saswati Sen | ... | dances |
| Jagdeesh Shetty | ... | assistant office management (as Jagdish Shetty) |
| N.B. Sukhwani | ... | office management |
| Gitanjali | ... | choreographer (uncredited) |
| Saswati Sen | ... | choreographer (uncredited) |
Thanks
| H.C. Agarwal | ... | acknowledgement (as H C Agarwal) |
| Ranjan Bannerji | ... | acknowledgement |
| Kartik Basu | ... | acknowledgement (as Kartik Bose) |
| Maharajar of Burdwan | ... | acknowledgement |
| Niren Chakravarty | ... | acknowledgement |
| Bimal Chatterjee | ... | acknowledgement (as Birmal Chatterji) |
| Sudipta Chatterji | ... | acknowledgement |
| Vasant Choudhury | ... | acknowledgement (as Vasanta Chowdhuri) |
| Srila Chowdhuri | ... | acknowledgement |
| Pamela Cullen | ... | acknowledgement (as Pamela Cullen, London) |
| Gerson Da Cunha | ... | acknowledgement |
| Lakshminarayan De | ... | acknowledgement |
| Rachana Dutt | ... | acknowledgement |
| Yusuf Ferozi | ... | acknowledgement (as M D Yusuf Ferozi) |
| Ajit K. Ghosh | ... | acknowledgement (as Ajit K Ghosh) |
| Manmathanath Ghosh | ... | acknowledgement (as Mamathanath Ghosh) |
| Ramen Ghosh | ... | acknowledgement |
| Gopa Ghoshal | ... | acknowledgement |
| Gen Jacob | ... | acknowledgement (as Lt Gen Jacob) |
| G.C. Jain | ... | acknowledgement (as Mr G C Jain) |
| Mrs. Kejriwal | ... | acknowledgement (as Mrs Kejriwal) |
| Nawal Kishore Kejriwal | ... | acknowledgement (as Mr N K Kejriwal) |
| Ain Rasheed Khan | ... | acknowledgement (as Ain Rashid Khan) |
| Mrs. Jahanara Begum Khan | ... | acknowledgement (as Mrs Jahanara Begum Khan) |
| Nawab Khan | ... | acknowledgement (as Nawabu Khan) |
| Mirza Mandi | ... | acknowledgement |
| A.K. Mitra | ... | acknowledgement (as A K Mitra) |
| Kiran Kumar Mitter | ... | acknowledgement |
| Ranu Mukherjee | ... | acknowledgment (as Lady Ranu Mukerji) |
| Bal Mundkur | ... | acknowledgement |
| Amritlal Nagar | ... | acknowledgement |
| Kunwar Narain | ... | acknowledgement |
| Mr. Panwar | ... | acknowledgement (as Mr Panwar) |
| Mrs. Panwar | ... | acknowledgement (as Mrs Panwar) |
| T.T. Peerkhan | ... | acknowledgement (as Mr T T Peerkhan) |
| P.G. Ramachandran | ... | acknowledgement (as P G Ramachandran) |
| Bharat Shashere Rana | ... | acknowledgement |
| Bijoya Ray | ... | acknowledgement |
| Marie Seton | ... | acknowledgement |
| Shrilal Shukla | ... | acknowledgement |
| Jagadish Ch. Sinha | ... | acknowledgement |
| Subho Tagore | ... | acknowledgement |
| Siddheswari Tewari | ... | acknowledgement (as Siddheswar Tewari) |
| Virendra D. Vyas | ... | acknowledgement |
Production Companies
- Devki Chitra (presents)
Distributors
- Creative (1978) (United States)
- Shemaroo Video Pvt. Ltd. (2004) (India) (DVD)
- The Criterion Channel (2021) (United States) (tv) (digital)
- Umbrella Entertainment (2012) (Australia) (video) (VOD)
Special Effects
- Ram Mohan Biographics (animation)
- Rauko Effects (special effects)
Other Companies
- A.T. Daw & Co. (acknowledgements)
- Andrew Mollo Historical Research Unit (acknowledgements)
- Bourne & Shepherd (acknowledgements)
- Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (acknowledgements)
- Calcutta Police (acknowledgements)
- Calcutta Youth Choir (songs)
- Cinequip (equipment)
- Heiko Bels (acknowledgements)
- India Office Library (acknowledgements)
- Indian Handicrafts Emporium (acknowledgements)
- Jyoti Impex (acknowledgements)
- Kathak Kalakendra (acknowledgements)
- Kathak Kalakendra (dances)
- Little Ballet Troupe (dances)
- Little Shoppe (acknowledgements)
- Lucknow Museum (acknowledgements)
- Lucknow Police (acknowledgements)
- Mahal Creations (acknowledgements)
- Maharaja Arts Emporium (acknowledgements)
- Ministry of Defense (acknowledgements)
- Ministry of Finance (acknowledgements)
- N.C. Cine Service (equipment)
- N.C. Daw & Co. (acknowledgements)
- National Archives (New Delhi) (acknowledgements)
- National Library, Calcutta (acknowledgements)
- National Museum, New Delhi (acknowledgements)
- Police Training School, Calcutta (acknowledgements)
- Sawai Madho Mansingh II Museum, Jaipur (acknowledgements)
- Shri Krishna Films (equipment)
- Sibtainabad Trust, Matiabruz (acknowledgements)
- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India (acknowledgements)
- Uma Deep Enterprises (equipment)
- Victoria Memorial Hall, Calcutta (acknowledgements)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Wazed Ali Shah was the ruler of one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British, intent on controlling this rich country, had sent General Outram on a secret mission to clear the way for an annexation. While pressure was mounting amidst intrigue and political maneuvers, Ali Shah composes poems and listens to music, secluded in his palace. The court was of no help, as exemplified by nobles Mir and Mirza, who, ignoring the situation of their country and all of their duties towards their families, spend their days playing endless parties of chess.
Written by Eduardo Casais |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Satyajit Ray's only Hindi movie. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Celluloid Man (2012). See more » |
| Quotes |
Mir Roshan Ali:
Jinse apni biwi-yan nahin sambhli woh angreaz fauz se kya ladenge. Translation : Those whom couldn't even care for their wives, would not be able to fight the British army. See more » |