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.
Type:
MOVIE
Country:
IN
Genres:
Drama
Release:
October 1977
Production:
Devki Chitra
Cast:
Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Amjad Khan, Shabana Azmi, Farida Jalal, Veena, David Abraham Cheulkar, Victor Banerjee, Farooq Shaikh, Tom Alter, Leela Mishra, Barry John, Richard Attenborough, Samarth Narain, Bhudo Advani, Kamu Mukherjee, Uttamram Nagar, Khairatilal Lahori, Pradip Shankar, Ashfaq Mirza, Amrit Bhushan Gujral, Ramesh Khosla, Shaik Farid, Madan Sudan, Saswati Sen, Amitabh Bachchan
Tags:
chess, based on short story, colonial india, 19th century, preserved film
