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| Edited By: Rucha Sharma |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Oct 06, 2017, 04:27 PM IST
Film: Victoria & Abdul
Cast: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Olivia Williams, Eddie Izzard, Simon Callow, Tim Pigott-Smith, Adeel Akhtar, Fenella Woolgar, Julian Wadham, Deano Bugatti.
Director: Stephen Frears
We see Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) as 68-year-old monarch, bored of her life, needing assistance with even sitting upright in the bed in the morning, absolutely tired in the year 1887. On her majesty's golden jubilee, she is presented a mohur (a gold coin) by a 24-year-old Indian clerk, Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) picked by then British India. Despite being warned about not looking the Queen in the eye, Abdul does the opposite and things are set in motion. The tinkling look in Abdul's eyes gives a hope to the Queen and then begins a friendship, a relationship between master-servant, teacher-disciple which even after going through ups and downs lasts 14 years until Victoria's death in 1901.
Judi Dench rules the screen. She played Victoria before in Mrs Brown, 20 years ago, she is doing it again flawlessly. Her stare and grit as Victoria stay superior to anyone sharing the frame with her. Same goes for her wit and the childlike curiosity that comes as a change for the monarch bound by the centuries of traditions and the presumption that Indians are "low order" people.
Ali Fazal makes most of his screen time. His Abdul tries to fit in and when raised above the rest of the household, he effortlessly beats the other members at the game of toadying to the Queen.
Rest of the British cast is full of big names like Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard who do their job of derailing the relationship off its course and being villains who cannot see beyond skin colour. Adeel Akhtar as Abdul's companion stays with you. Mohammed provides the reality check and brings the truth of how the Indians were treated by the British Empire then.
Based on a book by Shrabani Basu, the screenplay by Lee Hall tries to take a jibe at the British-Indian relationship before Independence while sketching a beautiful picture of the unique relationship between Victoria and Abdul. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Wish Lee Hall had decided upon the what direction he wanted to stick to when scripting Victoria & Abdul. Because if the script wanted to hit out at the ways British Empire treated Indians then, it doesn't do complete justice to it save for that one scene featuring Adeel Akhtar.
The plot also doesn't give a lot of time for setting up of the titular relationship. Covering 14 years in 110 minutes should not be that difficult. It takes a bit of an effort to be convinced of the relationship even when Abdul tells Victoria that she means more to him than his wife does.
The movie is specifically nostalgic about the Victoria and Abdul equation. Don't go looking for political commentary, you will be disappointed with its mild manners.
