Shatranj Ke Khilari

<p>The film is set in 1856 on the eve of the . The British are about to annex the (also spelled Awadh). The daily life of two wealthy men who are devoted to chess is presented against the background of scheming officials of the British , 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 film shows in parallel the historical drama of the Indian of (whose capital is ) and its , who is overthrown by the British, alongside the story of two noblemen who are obsessed with , i.e. . , the ruling , 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 ( ). Both effectively neglect their wives and fail to fight the takeover of their kingdom by the . 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 by a handful of British officials, among whom Captain Weston, a British soldier in love with , 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.” employed stars of the ( , and as a narrator) together with British actors (such as The film was well received upon its release. Despite the film’s limited budget, critic Gary Arnold gave it a positive review; “He [Ray] possesses what many overindulged Hollywood filmmakers often lack: a view of history”. According to , “This film deals with a moment of incredible change in Indian history and is told from a comical view that is a hallmark of Ray’s work. Watching it again, I realize this is what it must really feel like to live through a moment of historic change. It feels this big and tragic at the same time.” was preserved by the in 2010.</p>