A filmic historic mapping of 1857 : A comparative study of styajit ray's shatranj ke khiladi and shyam benegal's junoon

Abstract

The representation of history through the medium of film has been an important trend in the filmic world. While concerning with the different issues raised by the cinematic representation of a historic event, the films involve various types of thematic, ideological and hegemonic discursive practices of the period. The 'discontinuous' nature of history and the deconstruction of established notions from time to time makes the film version of history subordinate to the times in which it is made. The present study focuses on the comparative analysis of two films: Shatranj Ke Khilari by Satyajit Ray and Junoon by Shyam Benegal. Both the films are based on the revolt of 1857. The focus is to analyse how Ray's metaphoric use of chess and Benegal's blending of the historic event with the personal makes the difference in representing history through the medium of film. Both the films showcase the history of the revolt, its background and the colonial strategies of the British. The study focuses on how the filmic representation of a historic event in the non-fictional way differs from the fictional and historic representation.