Hafiz Mohammed Abdul Karim, known as ‘the Munshi’, was an Indian Muslim attendant to Queen Victoria. He served her during the final 15 years of her reign. The biographical drama film Victoria & Abdul, starring Judi Dench and Ali Fazal, is based on the friendship that the queen and her attendant shared. It is based on a book of the same name.
The special bond between the two had raised a lot of eyebrows in its time. And the trailer whets our curiosity about how the film would explore that. We couldn’t think of anybody better than Dame Judi Dench to play Queen Victoria. Ali Fazal, who plays the Queen’s munshi, seems to have put in a good performance, accent and all.
The best part is that this British-American film doesn’t glorify royalty. Instead, in scenes like where the Queen is seen snoring, there’s a touch of the real and the human.
The film hits theatres on 15 September.
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