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Awards and nominations: Added into the list.

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	\|[[Berlin International Film Festival]]		\|[[Berlin International Film Festival]]
	\|[[Golden Bear]]		\|[[Golden Bear]]
	\|[[Satyajit Ray]]		\|rowspan="2"\|[[Satyajit Ray]]
	\|{{nom}}		\|{{nom}}
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			! rowspan="2"\|[[25th National Film Awards\|1978]]
			\|rowspan="2"\|[[National Film Awards]]
			\|[[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi\|Best Feature Film in Hindi]]
			\|{{won}}
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			\|[[National Film Award for Best Cinematography\|Best Cinematography (Color)]]
			\|[[Soumendu Roy]]
			\|{{won}}
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	![[25th Filmfare Awards\|1978]]		![[25th Filmfare Awards\|1978]]
	\|rowspan="4"\|[[Filmfare Awards]]		\|rowspan="4"\|[[Filmfare Awards]]
	\|[[Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film\|Best Film (Critics)]]		\|[[Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film\|Best Film (Critics)]]
	\|~~rowspan="2"\|Suresh Jindal~~		\|[[Satyajit Ray]]
	\|{{won}}		\|{{won}}
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	!rowspan="3"\|[[26th Filmfare Awards\|1979]]		!rowspan="3"\|[[26th Filmfare Awards\|1979]]
	\|[[Filmfare Award for Best Film\|Best Film]]		\|[[Filmfare Award for Best Film\|Best Film]]
			\|Suresh Jindal
	\|{{nom}}		\|{{nom}}
	\|-		\|-

imported>Neils51: spelling: it's → its, typo(s) fixed: full length → full-length

2021-05-22T10:23:35Z

spelling: it's → its, typo(s) fixed: full length → full-length

New page

{{short description|1977 film by Satyajit Ray}}
{{for|the short story by Premchand|Shatranj ke Khiladi}}
{{other uses|Chess player (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Shatranj Ke Khilari
| image = Chess_players.jpg
| director = [[Satyajit Ray]]
| producer = Suresh Jindal<ref>{{cite web | title = 'There was always a huge calm on the set'|work= The Hindu | url = http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/there-was-always-a-huge-calm-on-the-set/article19495499.ece |author=Aseem Chhabra|date=August 15, 2017| access-date = 2018-04-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title = 'Working with Satyajit Ray Was One of the Joys of Producing Shatranj Ke Khiladi'|publisher= The Wire
| url = https://thewire.in/film/satyajit-ray-shatranj-ke-khiladi |date=July 28, 2017| access-date = 2018-04-04 }}</ref>
| writer = Satyajit Ray [[Shama Zaidi]] [[Javed Siddiqi]]
| screenplay = Satyajit Ray
| narrator = [[Amitabh Bachchan]]
| based_on = {{based on|[[Shatranj ke khiladi]], a short story|[[Munshi Premchand]]}}
| starring = [[Sanjeev Kumar (actor)|Sanjeev Kumar]] [[Saeed Jaffrey]] [[Shabana Azmi]] [[Richard Attenborough]] [[Farida Jalal]] [[Amjad Khan (actor)|Amjad Khan]] [[David (actor)|David Abraham]] [[Victor Banerjee]] [[Farooque Shaikh]] [[Tom Alter]] [[Leela Mishra]] Samarth Narain [[Bhudo Advani]]
| music = Satyajit Ray
| cinematography = [[Soumendu Roy]]
| editing = [[Dulal Dutta]]
| released = March 11, 1977
| runtime = 129 minutes
| country = India
| language = [[Hindi]] [[Urdu]] [[English language|English]]
| budget = {{Estimation}} {{INR}} 20 [[lakh]] ({{Estimation}} {{INR}} 3.84 [[crore]] as of 2019) <ref>{{cite web|title=Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players)|publisher=Satyajit Ray official site|url=http://www.satyajitray.org/films/shatran.htm|access-date=24 April 2009}}</ref>
}}
'''''Shatranj Ke Khilari''''', also subtitled and later internationally released with the translated title '''''The Chess Players''''', is a [[Bollywood films of 1977|1977]] [[Indian film]] written and directed by [[Satyajit Ray]], based on [[Munshi Premchand]]'s short story of the [[Shatranj ke Khilari|same name]]. [[Amjad Khan (actor)|Amjad Khan]] plays the role of Nawab [[Wajid Ali Shah]], King of [[Awadh]], and [[Richard Attenborough]] enacts the role of General [[Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet|James Outram]]. The main cast includes actors [[Sanjeev Kumar (actor)|Sanjeev Kumar]] and [[Saeed Jaffrey]] as the chess players. It also has [[Shabana Azmi]], [[Farooque Shaikh]], [[Farida Jalal]], [[David (actor)|David Abraham]], and [[Tom Alter]]. It has [[Amitabh Bachchan]] as the narrator. 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 Premchand's short story.

==Summary==
The film is set in 1856 on the eve of the [[Indian rebellion of 1857]]. The British are about to annex the Indian State of [[Awadh]] (also spelled Oudh). 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 Chess Players'' employed stars of the [[Bollywood|Bombay cinema]] ([[Amjad Khan (actor)|Amjad Khan]], [[Shabana Azmi]] and [[Amitabh Bachchan]] as a narrator) together with British actors (such as [[Richard Attenborough]]).

It was India's entry for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] at the [[51st Academy Awards]], but did not receive a nomination.<ref>Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences</ref>

==Plot==
The film shows in parallel the historical drama of the Indian [[princely state]] of [[Awadh State|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]], an ancient form of [[chess]].

[[Amjad Khan (actor)|Amjad Khan]] plays the ruling Nawab [[Wajid Ali Shah]]. He 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.

The role of Captain Weston, so British in his ways, but 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."

==Cast==
*[[Sanjeev Kumar (actor)|Sanjeev Kumar]] as Mirza Sajjad Ali
*[[Saeed Jaffrey]] as Mir Roshan Ali
*[[Shabana Azmi]] as Khurshid, Mirza's wife
*[[Richard Attenborough]] as General [[Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet|James Outram]]
*[[Farida Jalal]] as Nafisa, Mir's wife
*[[Amjad Khan (actor)|Amjad Khan]] as [[Wajid Ali Shah]]
*[[David (actor)|David Abraham]] as Munshi Nandlal
*[[Victor Banerjee]] as Prime Minister ("Madar-ud-Daula")
*[[Veena (actress)|Veena]] as the Queen, Mother of Wajid Ali Shah.
*[[Farooq Sheikh]] as Aqueel
*[[Tom Alter]] as Captain Weston, Outram's [[aide de camp]]
*[[Leela Mishra]] as Hirya, Khurshid's maid
*[[Saswati Sen]] as Kathak dancer in the song 'Kanha main tose haari'
*Samarth Narain as Kallu
*[[Bhudo Advani]] as Abbajani
*[[Agha (actor)|Agha]] as Abbajani's attendant - (Uncredited)
*[[Barry John (theatre director)|Barry John]]
*[[Kamu Mukherjee]]

==Reception==
The film was well received upon its release.<ref>{{cite web|title=When Amjad Khan, Attenborough, Sanjeev Kumar got together|url=https://m.rediff.com/movies/report/when-amjad-khan-attenborough-sanjeev-kumar-got-together/20150604.htm|website=Rediff}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Arnold|first=Gary|date=6 April 1978|title=The Chess Players|language=en-US|work=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/04/06/the-chess-players/f6cddf62-1567-4a21-8ff0-6ecd9f923aa2/|access-date=11 November 2020|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
!Year
!Award
!Category
!Nominee(s)
!Result
|-
![[28th Berlin International Film Festival|1978]]
|[[Berlin International Film Festival]]
|[[Golden Bear]]
|[[Satyajit Ray]]
|{{nom}}
|-
![[25th Filmfare Awards|1978]]
|rowspan="4"|[[Filmfare Awards]]
|[[Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film|Best Film (Critics)]]
|rowspan="2"|Suresh Jindal
|{{won}}
|-
!rowspan="3"|[[26th Filmfare Awards|1979]]
|[[Filmfare Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Filmfare Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
|[[Satyajit Ray]]
|rowspan="2"{{won}}
|-
|[[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
|[[Saeed Jaffrey]]
|}

==Preservation==

''The Chess Players'' was preserved by the [[Academy Film Archive]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Preserved Projects|url=https://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=SHATRANJ+KE+KHILADI&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All|website=Academy Film Archive}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Asian historical drama films]]
* [[List of submissions to the 51st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film]]
* [[List of Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*Satyajit Ray, ''The Chess Players and Other Screenplays''. London: Faber and Faber, 1989. {{ISBN|0-571-14074-2}}
*Andrew Robinson, "Satyajit Ray's ''The Chess Players''", ''History Today'', July 2007

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=0076696|title=The Chess Players}}
*{{cite web|title=Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players)|publisher=Satyajit Ray official site|url=http://www.satyajitray.org/films/shatran.htm|access-date=24 April 2009}}
*{{cite web|title=The Chess Players (Shatranj Ke Khilari) - Chess and Movies |publisher=TuskerChess site|url=http://ask.indiavoice.info/Tusker/chess-players-1977-20131001806/|access-date=29 December 2013}}

{{Satyajit Ray}}
{{Navboxes
|title= Awards for ''The Chess Players''
|list=
{{FilmfareCriticsAwardBestMovie}}
{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Hindi}}
}}
{{Indian submission for Academy Awards}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chess Players, The}}
[[Category:1977 films]]
[[Category:Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:1970s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Satyajit Ray]]
[[Category:Films about chess]]
[[Category:Chess in India]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Films based on short fiction]]
[[Category:Films set in the British Raj]]
[[Category:Films set in Lucknow]]
[[Category:Adaptations of works by Premchand]]
[[Category:Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography National Film Award]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1850s]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Satyajit Ray]]
[[Category:Indian films with live action and animation]]
[[Category:Films scored by Satyajit Ray]]
[[Category:Films about the Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
[[Category:Best Hindi Feature Film National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Films shot in Lucknow]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Indian monarchs]]

The Chess Players (film) - Revision history

Bot: robot: Create/upgrade articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

42.106.36.188: /* Awards and nominations */Added into the list.

imported>Neils51: spelling: it's → its, typo(s) fixed: full length → full-length