Victoria & Abdul

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An Indian jail scribe from Agra is sent off to England (mainly because he's tall) to present Queen Victoria with a coin (mohur) in honour of her golden jubilee. There begins a relationship like no other and the two become kindred spirits. Abdul teaches her Urdu and Hindi, introducing her to curry, which was a daily item on the royal menu - and eventually he becomes her highly decorated secretary.

The Queen became so enamoured with all things indian, she had The Durbar Room in Osborne House created in an Indian style, with a peacock throne and Abdul's portrait hangs there too. All this hugely displeases the Queen's son, Bertie and her household at Osborne House. I did think that perhaps Queen Victoria had lost the plot slightly, knowing Abdul wouldn't be warmly received yet mollycoddled him anyway.

Not a huge amount happens in this film as the main focus is on the relationship between the two protagonists, which is very sweet and sincere. Judi Dench plays  cantankerous very well, who knew? I  jest, she is very good in this - playing a delicate and boisterous person in equal measure.  Ali Fazal who plays Abul Karim holds his own opposite a true thesbian and acting legend.

Eddie Izzard was a surprise hit for me. He played Bertie, a childish, spoilt, vindictive and callous person who wanted nothing more than to get rid of Abdul, which he does with such malliace and glee towards the end of the film. It is shocking that Bertie became the next King of England, Edward VII. The fact that he dies only nine years later...karma springs to mind.

This is a nice film to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. You learn alot of history.  The costume design and set design really stand out too.