Adapted from Munshi Premchand’s short story by the same name, ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’, directed by the master at work ‘Satyajit Ray’, this is a satire that transports us back to the 1850s at a time when Lucknow was at the peak of its glory heralded by the Moslem rule in Aundh. The Nawab (played by Amjad Khan) is a patron of arts, Hindustani tehzeeb, classical music & fine arts. And, as for the British East India Company, they had their sights on the Kohinoor of the Nawab’s crown, the kingdom of Aundh. General James Outram played by Richard Attenborough completely dismisses the Nawab of Aundh as a clown, a buffoon, and ridicules his penchant for art, philosophy, and lackluster will to rule. The General’s failure to understand the Hindustani culture leads to breaking the Nawab’s whimsical world.
But just like they are plotting their moves, somewhere in a haveli in Lucknow, two aristocrats ‘Mirza Sajjad Ali’ played by Sanjeev Kumar & ‘Mir’ played by ‘Saeed Jaffrey’ are enamored by chess, ‘shatranj’ to such an extent that it remains their only pursuit in life. Cut from the same cloth, both these gentlemen are regal, comical, nonchalant, and civilized. They are so intoxicated by ‘shatranj’ that they even give their family life a miss. From Mirza’s wife played by Shabana Azmi lamenting the lack of time & sexual deprivation, he gives her to Mir’s wife who is having an affair with an acquaintance of his behind his back. It’s a comedy of errors.
Ray's subtle use of chess as a metaphor parallels the deceitful moves made by the British to capture the Nawab. While the two men play, their kingdom as well as their marriages are on the verge of breaking. These images are juxtaposed with those of the Nawab who, while flying kites, has one of his poems skillfully decoded by General Outram, thus providing grounds for annexation. Ray uses storytelling to another level as he marries history with contextual problems.
Amjad Khan plays the role of a Nawab eloped in the romanticism of fine arts, Hindustani tehzeeb & a musician to perfection, sinking his teeth into the character. He is fluid with his body language and embodies a Nawab with his speech, but his eyes do most of the talking. They perfectly encapsulate the pain that is his and his own.
On the other hand, Mirza & Mir leave Lucknow as it gets ready to shed the hijab of its rich culture & surrender to the British tyrants. While playing chess an argument crops up to which Mirza alleges that Mir’s wife is having an affair behind his back which everyone knows but he doesn’t. Mir feels insulted, infuriated he tries to shoot Mirza forgetting the unbreakable bond they had built through the years & complains out loud that if he shoots him he will have no one left with to play chess. 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."
Satyajit Ray once again delivers a cinematic masterpiece. His first film in Hindi. He extracts impeccable performances from the actors, authentic and nuanced but the real hero is the satire, written all over the script. From an aesthetic sense, special mention to the costume designer for creating Amjad Khan’s costumes. Moving on to cinematography & music, there isn’t much on display because Ray’s films have mostly focussed on realism. While the story unfolds gradually, it might seem slow at first but the characters are so enchanting, especially Mirza & Mir, that you would lose count of the time. Sanjeev Kumar & Saeed Jaffrey mesh perfectly to an extent that you can’t take your eyes off them. They play these characters with such conviction & earnestness that you would actually mistake them for being Nawabs of Lucknow. A movie like this is like a fine glass of whiskey which ought to be enjoyed gradually. Nonetheless, an enthralling watch.
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