The Chess Players

Satyajit Ray
1977-10-02

Satyajit Ray's First Hindi feature Film
7.1
129 min

In the year 1856, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah is the King of Awadh, one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British intend to control this rich land and send General Outram to clear way for an annexation. Pressure is mounting amidst intrigue and political maneuvers, but the Nawab whiles away his time in pursuit of pleasure and religious practice. The court is of no help either — noblemen Mir and Mirza ignore all duties and spend their days playing endless games of chess. Based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 2010.

Cast

Name Character Team
Sanjeev Kumar Mirza Sajjad Ali Unowned
Saeed Jaffrey Mir Roshan Ali Unowned
Amjad Khan Wajid Ali Shah Unowned
Shabana Azmi Khurshid Unowned
Farida Jalal Nafisa Unowned
Veena Queen Mother Unowned
David Abraham Cheulkar Munshi Unowned
Victor Banerjee Prime Minister Unowned
Farooq Shaikh Aqueel Unowned
Tom Alter Capt. Weston Unowned
Leela Mishra Hirya Unowned
Barry John Unowned
Richard Attenborough General Outram Unowned
Samarth Narain Kallu Unowned
Bhudo Advani Abbajani Unowned
Kamu Mukherjee Unowned
Uttamram Nagar Unowned
Khairatilal Lahori Unowned
Pradip Shankar Unowned
Ashfaq Mirza Unowned
Amrit Bhushan Gujral Unowned
Ramesh Khosla Unowned
Shaik Farid Unowned
Madan Sudan Unowned
Saswati Sen Dancer (uncredited) Unowned
Amitabh Bachchan Narrator (voice) Unowned