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by Suresh Jindal (Author)
For those who know their Indian cinema, Shatranj Ke Khilari is film-maker Satyajit Ray's only feature film in Hindi/Urdu and also his most expensive film, employing lavish stage design and stars of both Mumbai and Western cinema. A period piece set in nineteenth-century Lucknow, capital of the state of Oudh, the film revolves around the court of the flamboyant artist-king Wajid Ali Shah against the backdrop of the East India Company's avaricious annexation of Oudh in 1856.Jindal, Ray's young and artistically committed producer of Shatranj Ke Khilari, looks back on the gripping story of how Ray came to direct the film despite his unequivocal declaration that he would never write and direct a film that was not in Bengali. Quoting extensively from Ray's fascinating unpublished letters to Jindal, it evokes the driving passion, original historical research and trademark devotion to detail that Ray brought to every aspect of the production.
Author Biography
Suresh Jindal was among the producers in India in the 1970s who made possible the dreams of film-makers working outside the mainstream. He has produced films that are considered milestones of Indian arthouse cinema, including Rajinigandha, Shatranj Ke Khilari, Gandhi and Katha. He is a recipient of the Chevalier des Ordre des Arts et des Lettres awarded by the French government.
