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AVAILABLE ON
DVD
DVD
Item#:
IND022-1DVD
Price: $34.95




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"The Chess Players / Shatranj Ke
Khiladi"
1977
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Ray's so-called Hindi
debut film (it is actually in Urdu with English), although featuring major
Hindi stars, was refused a commercial release by local distributors
because of Ray's Calcutta art-house reputation. This is a colorful period
drama about colonialism and indigenous culture set in 1856 at the court of
Wajid Ali Shah in Lucknow. Beginning with an animated cartoon about the
British annexation policy (featuring the voice of Amitabh Bachchan), this
film features two narratives: the first is based on Premchand's short
story about two hookah-smoking zamindars playing interminable games of
chess; the second dramatizes the conflict between Wajid and General
Charles Outram. Stars Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Amjad Khan, Richard
Attenborough and Shabana Azmi. Urdu with English subtitles. |
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