Victoria & Abdul

Reliance Home Entertainment – Rs. 649/-
Cast: Jusi Dench, Ali Fazal, Eddie Izzard, Adeel Akhtar, Michael Gambon
Directed By: Stephen Frears

Based on a true story and adapted from the book by Shrabani Basu, the film is a story that we got to know probably in the last 20 years or so, about an unlikely friendship that Queen Victoria struck up with a young Indian prison clerk

Crica: It’s the time when the British were ruling India. Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) is instructed to travel to England for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 to present her with a mohur, a gold coin which has been minted as a token of appreciation from British-ruled India. Expect a lot of fun between Abdul and his colleague Mohammed (Adeel Akhtar) who also joins him on the trip. It’s enjoyable to see them make a Mickey of themselves on screen especially in a foreign country.

Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) is alone and lonely after the demise of her husband and finds an unexpected companionship with Abdul whom she refers to as Munshi. The two forge a devoted alliance and heart-warming loyalty to one another, but it is met with fierce opposition from the Queen’s inner circle, especially her son Bertie (Eddie Izzard). Victoria begins to learn the Quran and Urdu and a bit of India from Abdul. As their friendship deepens, despite threats from the Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues to resign doesn’t stop her loyalty to Abdul. Victoria is nevertheless unperturbed by this.

When she learns that Munshi is married, she invites his family to the palace, much to the annoyance of those closest to her. It’s amusing to watch the Queen’s family and confidants huddling around doors speaking of Abdul in racially tinged language.

The film’s cinematography is excellent in capturing Victoria in her old age. Fazal gives a good performance.

Bonus features include ‘Jusi and Ali’ focus on the pairing of Dench and Faizal, while ‘The Look of Victoria and Abdul’ shows the production design of the film.

By: Verus Ferreira