The Chess Players

Cast & Crew

Richard Attenborough
General Outram

Amjad Khan
Wajid Ali Shah

Sanjeev Kumar
Mirza Sajjad Ali

Saeed Jaffrey
Mir Roshan Ali

Shabana Azmi
Khurshid

Farida Jalal
Nafisa

Satyajit Ray
Director

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Critic Reviews for The Chess Players (Shatranj Ke Khiladi)

Audience Reviews for The Chess Players (Shatranj Ke Khiladi)

• Jan 23, 2015

  My first film by Satyajit Ray. I was impressed. Excellent director. The story is interesting and funny, even if you know nothing about chess. If you love chess it's a must. Two men play chess all day to the exclusion of everything. When their beautiful chess pieces are stolen they find a way to continue playing. Marvelous twists and turns in the story kept me wondering what was coming next. I'll watch another film by this director anytime.
  Morris N Super Reviewer
• Aug 29, 2008

  A delightful comedy with political connotations by the master Satyajit Ray. The main plot involves the king playing a chess game throughout the movie with subplots involving his relatives and the British Lords. .The chess game is a slick metaphor for the wily tactics used by the British to capture the kingdom.
  Ut S Super Reviewer
• May 23, 2008

  [font=Century Gothic]With an ending that subtly turns everything on its head, "The Chess Players" is a breezy movie about the serious subject of imperialism. It is 1856 in India where two incredibly wealthy men, Mirza(Sanjeev Kumar) and Mir(Saeed Jaffrey), are obsessed with the game of chess, playing every chance they get and ignoring everything else in their lives, especially Mirza's wife(Shabana Azmi), who is frustrated in more ways than one.(Remember this takes place in the days before video games but the sentiment is the same.) One of the things they are currently ignoring is the local political situation which involves an English general, Outram(Richard Attenborough), playing a real life game of chess. The British government having swallowed up every other piece of India, now has its eyes on the kingdom of Oudh, ruled over by King Wajid(Amjad Khan), which it has long extorted funds from.[/font]
  Walter M Super Reviewer

The Chess Players (Shatranj Ke Khiladi) Quotes

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