Victoria & Abdul (2017)

 

The makers of Victoria & Abdul claim that it is “mostly” based on real events. I don’t think you should rely on non-documentary films for history lessons, but even if the details aren’t particularly accurate historically, the plot is still interesting and the locations are spectacular. A young prison clerk in India gets chosen to travel to England to present a mohur, a gold coin, to Queen Victoria, the Empress of India who has never actually visited the country that England rules. He’s chosen because he picked out some carpets that she particularly admired. Well, and he’s tall. That seems to be an important factor even though the other Indian chosen to go to with him is rather short by comparison. Even though he is told not to make eye contact with the Queen, their eyes do meet, and he gets asked to be her personal servant. The reason seems to be a simple one; she thinks he’s “terribly handsome.” The actor who plays Abdul, Ali Fazal, is indeed handsome and certainly deserves the looks that he receives from her (and some other women as well). The film never quite addresses the question directly of whether or not Victoria (Judi Dench) was in love with Abdul or perhaps “smitten,” but given how long it had been since the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert, being attracted to someone as lovely and generous and even enthusiastic as Abdul makes perfect sense to me. Plus, he seems to be the only one who still thinks of her as his ruler. The rest tend to take her for granted. When she names him her Munshi (teacher) and she starts learning Urdu and the Quran, her circle of advisors begins plotting how to get rid of him. Dench has, of course, played Queen Victoria before, having earned her first Oscar nomination in the role for 1997’s Mrs. Brown. Victoria & Abdul even makes a veiled reference to Mr. Brown, a Scottish servant she had a relationship with, a friendship that was ruined by gossip. Abdul is a Muslim Indian, and no one in the queen’s household supports their friendship or relationship. Neither does the Prime Minister (Michael Gambon), particularly given the tensions being raised by the Indian resistance to British rule. The worst behavior, of course, is from her eldest son, Bertie, the Prince of Wales (Eddie Izzard). He threatens to have her declared insane so that he can assume the throne before her death. Dench is in good form here, and her Victoria certainly knows how to put an end to that attempt. She is, as she puts it, “anything but insane.” The relationship between the queen and her Munshi naturally has some misunderstandings at times, and she’s rather surprised to learn that he has a wife, for instance. The plot might not break any new ground in terms of its depiction of the racist British attitude towards its colonies, but it’s refreshing to have Dench’s Victoria and Fazal’s Abdul demonstrate how friendship can potentially cross some pretty powerful racial and age and class barriers. Sure, it’s simplistic, but a simple sense of hope can provide us with some comfort at times.

Oscar Nominations: Best Achievement in Costume Design and Best Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling