For Satyajit Ray, making Shatranj Ke Khilari meant investigating far more than chess or costume. Producer Suresh Jindal recalled a production that ranged through books, archives, museums, historic homes and conversations with specialists to reconstruct nineteenth-century Awadh. He called the experience “a magical mystery tour”—his vivid description of the research journeys, not the name of a formal production program.
What the film set out to recreate
Released in 1977, Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khilari adapts Munshi Premchand’s short story. Set in 1856, as British power moves to annex Awadh and depose its ruler, Wajid Ali Shah, the film follows two noblemen absorbed in chess while their world changes around them. Jindal’s account of the production was published as a 2017 excerpt from his memoir, My Adventures with Satyajit Ray: The Making of Shatranj Ke Khilari. The details below are his retrospective recollections, rather than a production diary independently checked against records. Read Jindal’s account at Scroll.in.
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Why Jindal called the research a “magical mystery tour”
Jindal remembered Ray’s preparation as a journey that kept widening. The subjects included chess, British colonial records, painting, architecture, travel, food, clothing, music and social manners. Rather than relying on books alone, the pair sought out places and people that could help them picture the period.
- Books and records: Jindal lists books about chess, James Outram’s Blue Books at the National Library, Company School paintings, prints of landscapes and architecture, and travelogues.
- Places: He recalls visits to museums, aristocratic homes in Lucknow, Kolkata thakur baris, the Imperial War Museum, the India Office Library, Falaknuma Palace and Jaipur’s City Palace Museum.
- People and lived knowledge: The team also sought informed contacts in Lucknow. During a visit to writer Amritlal Nagar, Jindal recalls Ray and Nagar discussing Premchand, Wajid Ali Shah, clothes and fashion, and the relationships that shaped nineteenth-century Lucknow.
It was this mix of archives, objects, historic settings and conversation that prompted Jindal’s phrase: “It was like a magical mystery tour: psychedelic all the way, in every way.” The phrase conveys the scope and energy he remembered; it should not be mistaken for a formal title or documented production initiative.
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How the principal roles were cast
Jindal says the screenplay and casting were progressing by summer 1976. He recalls that Ray had imagined Saeed Jaffrey as Meer Roshan Ali after reading Premchand’s story, while Sanjeev Kumar seemed right to the team for Mirza Sajjad Ali. The two men are the chess-playing noblemen at the centre of the film.
Amjad Khan as Wajid Ali Shah
Jindal says he suggested Amjad Khan for the ruler, partly because Khan resembled the figure in a portrait and because of his box-office appeal. Ray initially wondered whether Khan could move beyond the villain image associated with his earlier work. Jindal judged the resulting performance excellent. This casting history, including the reasons for the suggestion, is Jindal’s recollection.
Victor Banerjee as Ali Naqi
According to Jindal, he and Ray shared casting work, with Ray making the final decisions. Jindal says Ray selected Victor Banerjee to play Ali Naqi, the nawab’s prime minister, because Banerjee resembled the historical figure in a portrait.
Richard Attenborough as General Outram
Jindal recalls that the team approached Richard Attenborough in London in autumn 1976. In a companion excerpt from the same memoir, he says Attenborough researched Outram’s use of cheroots and pince-nez and practised a Scottish accent. Attenborough brought his character research to Ray, who agreed to incorporate it. Jindal also recalls Ray accepting Jaffrey’s suggestions on Urdu dialogue because Jaffrey was more fluent. The companion Scroll excerpt is another passage from Jindal’s book, not independent corroboration.
How the production built its period look
Costume research was part of the wider effort to make the period legible on screen. Jindal says Ray studied the clothing and hired Andrew Mollo to draw costume sketches. A 2021 Times of India report adds details from costume researcher Rukshana Zaidi’s account of the work: finding makers for garments, involving a master embroiderer from Agra, and combining silk and wool for a winter setting. The report says some textile work had to be made afresh because the old technique was no longer readily practised. Those specifics are Zaidi’s recollections as reported by the newspaper, rather than Jindal’s account. Read the report on the film’s Awadh look.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Jindal remembered about delays and directing actors
Jindal says filming was postponed for eight months after Kumar suffered a heart attack and Khan had a near-fatal accident. He also recalls Ray writing actor Barry John a three-page letter to explain and apologize for the delay, even though John had only one scene. Jindal says John was touched by the courtesy and continued to mention it to friends for years. The duration and anecdote are the producer’s retrospective recollections.
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Jindal portrays Ray as carefully preparing scenes while trying to keep performances spontaneous. In his account, Ray generally used few takes and avoided extensive rehearsal. He explained the scene in context—including what came before and after—demonstrated a part when useful, and remained open to a stronger suggestion from an actor. Jindal offers this as a description of Ray’s approach, not a quantified rule applying to every scene.
Further reading
Jindal’s memoir, My Adventures with Satyajit Ray: The Making of Shatranj Ke Khilari, is the source of the production account and includes correspondence, production stills and filmmaking anecdotes, according to the Scroll excerpt. The excerpt identifies HarperCollins India as the publisher; it does not establish current availability.
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