Shatranj ke Khilari (1977) - Chess, Friendship And Betrayal
Shatranj ke Khilari is one of those films that doesn’t announce its cleverness. It simply unfolds, calmly and patiently, trusting the viewer to notice what is going on.
At its heart, the film runs on two parallel tracks—two stories that seem separate at first, but slowly begin to echo each other.
Both stories are about friendship.
And both are about betrayal.
Story A: The Big Game
The first story is political. The British East India Company and the Nawab of Oudh.
The British arrive as friends. They are polite, reasonable, and reassuring. Promises are made. Agreements are signed. Everything looks civilised.
The Nawab, cultured and refined, believes that words still mean something. That friendship, once offered, will be honoured.
It isn’t.
This is not a violent takeover. It is slow, administrative, and calculated. By the time the Nawab understands what is happening, the game is already over.
Story B: The Small Game
Running alongside this is a much smaller, almost comic story—that of Mirza Sajid Ali and Mir Roshan Ali.
They are friends. Deeply so. Bound together by their obsession with chess.
They would rather play one more game than face their families, their responsibilities, or the political storm brewing outside their doors.
At first, their friendship feels harmless. Even charming.
But here too, betrayal enters—not loudly, not dramatically, but through neglect, selfishness, and avoidance. Each man chooses the game over the other when it matters most.
Two Stories, One Pattern
Satyajit Ray never forces a comparison between these two stories. He simply places them side by side.
The British treat Oudh like a chessboard—coldly, strategically, without emotion.
The chess players treat life the same way.
The Nawab’s faith in friendship mirrors the chess players’ faith in each other. In both cases, that faith turns out to be misplaced.
One betrayal is political.
The other is personal.
But the loss is equally devastating.
Amitabh Bachchan’s Voice
One of the film’s most striking elements is its narration by Amitabh Bachchan.
He never appears on screen. Yet his presence is felt throughout.
The voice is calm, restrained, almost detached. It does not judge or dramatise events. It simply observes, like a chronicler watching history quietly slip away.
The trivia here is fascinating. By 1977, Amitabh was already a massive star. Yet Ray used him only as a narrator—no screen presence, no star treatment. Just the voice.
It was a bold choice, and a perfect one.
The Real Checkmate
By the end of Shatranj ke Khilari, nobody truly wins.
The British gain territory, but lose moral ground.
The Nawab loses his kingdom.
The chess players lose their homes, their families, and finally, their self-respect.
The real checkmate is not delivered on the board.
It is delivered by life itself.
Quietly. Slowly. And without mercy.
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