Victoria and Abdul (2017)
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A lonely Queen finds an unexpected friendship with her Indian servant in the late 19th century.
The story
In 1888, Abdul Karim, a young clerk from a Muslim family in British India, travels to Britain to present a gold coin to Queen Victoria for her Golden Jubilee. The Queen, weary of her court's constant attention, finds herself drawn to Abdul's company and begins a unique friendship with him. She appoints him as her Munshi to teach her Urdu and the Quran. As their bond deepens, the Queen's growing interest in Indian culture and Abdul's presence in her inner circle creates tension with her advisors and household, who view his status as a threat to royal tradition.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1888, Abdul Karim travels to England to present a gold coin to Queen Victoria. The Queen, seeking escape from her court, forms a deep bond with Abdul, eventually hiring him as her Munshi to teach her Urdu. She even brings his wife and mother-in-law to England, much to the chagrin of her advisors. As the Queen's fascination with India grows, she builds a dedicated Durbar Room at her home. However, the Prime Minister and other courtiers plot to remove Abdul, eventually presenting the Queen with a dossier of his background and a medical report regarding his health. Despite their efforts to force a separation, Victoria remains loyal to him. She eventually refuses to make him a knight but grants him a different title. Following her death in 1901, the new King Edward VII rejects Abdul and sends him and his family back to India. The film concludes with Abdul, living in India until 1909, paying his respects to a statue of the Queen.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 111
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English; Urdu; Hindi
- Directors
- Stephen Frears
- Writers
- Lee Hall · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Judi Dench · Queen Victoria; Ali Fazal · Abdul Karim; Michael Gambon · Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury; Eddie Izzard · Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VII ("Bertie"); Adeel Akhtar · Mohammad Bakhsh; Paul Higgins · Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet; Tim Pigott-Smith · Henry Ponsonby; Olivia Williams · Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill
- Genres
- biographical; historical drama
- Themes
- friendship; cultural exchange; loyalty; imperialism
- Tone and mood
- historical; poignant
- Setting
- Late 19th-century Britain and India.
- Premise and plot tags
- historical drama; biographical; royal family
- Source material / true-story basis
- Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu
- Reception
- The film received mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising Judi Dench's performance while some criticized the portrayal of Abdul and the film's focus on the British Empire.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 66% · scale: percentage · review count: 199; Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 34
- Awards and nominations
- Best Costume Design · Academy Awards · 90th · nomination; Best Makeup and Hairstyling · Academy Awards · 90th · nomination; Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · Golden Globe Awards · 75th · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film is considered an unofficial sequel to the 1997 film Mrs Brown.; Principal photography took place at the Queen's former royal residence, Osborne House.; The film was based on a non-fiction book by Shrabani Basu.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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