Jackson Booth-Millard We had already seen the lead actress play the famous British monarch very successfully in Mrs. Brown, this was the movie that saw her take on the role again, directed by Stephen Frears (Prick Up Your Ears, Dangerous Liaisons, Mrs Henderson Presents, The Queen, Philomena, Florence Foster Jenkins). Basically in 1887, young prison clerk Abdul Karim (Bollywood star Ali Fazal) from Agra, India is instructed to travel to England for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria (Golden Globe nominated Dame Judi Dench) to present her with a mohur, a gold coin which has been minted as a token of appreciation from British-ruled India. The Queen, who has been lonely since the death of her husband Albert, is tired of her fawning courtiers, but develops an interest in and later a friendship with Abdul. She spends time with him alone, and promotes him to become her Munshi, her teacher for her to learn his native Urdu language and the Qur'an. Victoria is surprised to learn that Abdul is married, so invites his wife and mother-in-law to join him in England, they wear black Burqas, which alarms the staff of the household. While Victoria treats Abdul as a son, her favouring of him is resented by her household and inner circle, including her son Bertie, Prince of Wales (Eddie Izzard) and the Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (Sir Michael Gambon). The household plots to undermine their relationship, hoping that Abdul will be sent home. When Victoria embarrasses herself by recounting details of the Indian Mutiny that Abdul had told her, Victoria's faith and trust in him are shaken and she decides he must go home. But the following day she changes her mind and asks him to stay, she gives Abdul a bejewelled locket with her photograph. Victoria's interest in India grows, including food from the country, having a Durbar Room at her Isle of Wight home of Osborne House decorated in an Indian style, and hanging portraits of Indians in the House, and she says she intends to give Abdul a knighthood. The Prime Minister is insistent that the royal household must find a way to get rid of Abdul. They research Abdul's family background in India, they show Victoria a dossier showing that his family is more ordinary and poor than Abdul has told her. Victoria insists her doctor examine why Abdul's wife has not fallen pregnant, it is discovered that Abdul has gonorrhoea. The doctor rushes to tell the Queen, expecting her to be disgusted, but she remains loyal to Abdul and scorns her courtiers for plotting against him. Eventually the household decides that, if Victoria does not break with Abdul, they will all resign, also threatening to certify the Queen as insane. Victoria is angry about this treason, she summons the entire household to the Durbar Room and demands that anyone who wants to resign step forward, when none do so, she says she has decided not to give Abdul a knighthood, but to include him in her next honours list as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. When Victoria falls ill, she urges Abdul to return to India while she can still protect him, she warns him that the court will turn on him when she dies, but Abdul insists that he will stay with Victoria until the end of her life. Victoria dies in 1901, her son Bertie, now Edward VII, rejects Abdul, burning all the gifts and papers he has received from the Queen, and sends him and his family back to India, Abdul's wife manages to save the locket for him. Abdul is seen kneeling before a large statue of Queen Victoria in a garden close to the Taj Mahal, he talks to it and kisses its feet in respect, Abdul continued to live in India for the next eight years, until his death. Also starring Olivia Williams as Lady Churchill, Tim Pigott-Smith (in his final role) as Sir Henry Ponsonby, Four Lions' Adeel Akhtar as Mohammed, Paul Higgins as Dr. Reid, Fenella Woolgar as Miss Phipps and Simon Callow as Puccini. Dench gives a wonderfully strong performance, showing the vulnerable and spirited side of the monarch, Fazal is great as the friendly and enthusiastic Muslim newcomer who brings her out of her shell, and the other well-known faces do their part well as well. This is a little-known chapter in the final years of Queen Victoria's reign, an odd-couple friendship between a handsome servant and an isolated widow, with sharp humour and genuine emotion, a very well written comedic and dramatic script and superb costume and period detail, it is a fascinating and warm-hearted true story in the shadows of history, a fantastic biographical drama. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Costume Design, and it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Make Up/Hair. Very good!

jpgougouh The queen.... portrayed as a traitor to the kingdom. We all know why they did this movie. Globalism oblige...The mayor say it's all part of the everyday life in London. The old queen needs this exotic person but who else do?

Prismark10 Following on from Mrs Brown in 1997. Judi Dench reprises her role as an older Queen Victoria in the last years of her life but still infatuated with a maverick member of her household.This time one of the two servants, Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) presented to the Empress of India. Victoria becomes fascinated by the exotic Karim who no doubt embellishes his status and stories much to the chagrin of the monarchs advisers and other members of the staff. They are not happy with this foreigner taking so much of Victoria's attentions. Abdul becomes her spiritual advisor on all things Indian.The film is based on true incidents. What is known for certain is that a lot of the papers relating to Karim were burned after Victoria's death and it highlights the prejudice of the times.Stephen Frears adds panache and humour to a slight story but it is sumptuous to look at with the costumes and set direction but it lacks the poignancy of Mrs Brown from two decades earlier.

michael-young-585 Judi Dench runs away with this movie. In fact, she hits the ball so far out of the pack, that the rest of the actors are left with little more than eating dust. It seems that I enjoy her performance in every movie I've seen her in, whether its strong British characters (in movies like the James Bond Skyfall, or as Queen Victoria in this movie) or introspective people with pasts to reconcile (as in Philomena, or The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). She seems to personify the older British woman, bound by tradition, but bursting with inner feelings. Although nominated for acting Oscars seven times, she won only once, for a supporting role in Shakespeare in Love in 1999.Why she wasn't nominated for this movie, I don't know. I haven't seen any of the other female-actress-nominated movies, but find it difficult to imagine superior performances. Instead, it was nominated in two, below-the-line, categories - Costumes, and Makeup. And I have to confess, up-front, that I have some difficulty with these two categories. My complaints center around the fact that these nominees almost always play on the overly conservative side of things. Instead of rewarding the creativity that comes with designing clothing for major science fiction and fantasy movies, like Star Trek or Guardians of the Galaxy, the nominees in these categories tend to the period piece movies, or as is the case too frequently with the Makeup and Hairstyling category, with movies that are simply insults to the intelligence of the average viewer (I think specifically of the 100 Year Old Man Who.... from a couple years ago where the 'makeup' centered largely around a scrotum and testicles that hung so low they nearly dragged on the floor.)The makeup in this movie isn't that disgusting, and the wigs and facial makeup for, especially, the members of the British royal family, are convincingly done and add to the fun of the movie. And the costumes are all perfectly appropriate for the Victorian age. So I suppose the movie deserves the spotlight in those two categories, although it didn't win an Oscar in either.Victoria & Abdul is the story, 'mostly' based on fact, of the friendship that develops between Queen Victoria and a Muslim from India. As unlikely as that sounds, it apparently occurred in the few years before her death and caused quite a scandal within the royal family as the influence of a Muslim wasn't considered at all appropriate in Britain at that time (or now either?). The movie starts as a sort of comedy with the juxtaposition of the Queen's highly formal lifestyle with the care-free life of a low-level prison clerk from India. The improbable circumstances of how he meets the queen, are definitely the stuff of situation comedy. And Dench's remarkably adept portrayal of the banalities of queenly formalism is the straight-man to Abdul's devilish grin and refusal to obey even the simple rule of 'Don't look at the Queen!' But he does look at the queen, and her eyes catch his. In the next moment the delightfully droll octogenarian is commenting about how handsome he is and arranges to have him become more involved, platonically, with her. Eventually, he becomes her "munshee" which is sort of a Muslim spiritual teacher. In addition to teaching her Urdu and basics of the Koran, he succeeds in bringing out her spirit and enriches her final days. All of this occurs while the Queen's family and staff remain quite properly aghast at what is a consuming scandal.The comedic aspect of this movie, however, can't be sustained and I don't think the transition to the real drama of the relationship succeeds very well. Part of that might be the writing. Lee Hall wrote the screenplay based on a book by Shrabani Bass. Hall was nominated previously for his adapted screenplay of Billy Elliott, but I don't recognize any of his other credits. And the director, Stephen Frears, was nominated for The Queen in 2008, and The Grifters in 1991, and also directed Philomena, Dangerous Liasons, and Dirty Pretty Things. Unfortunately, this movie does not live up to some of his better work.The reason, I suspect, is that, like so many movies with just one or two nominations, this movie lacks balance. Ok, the costumes and makeup is terrific, and Judi Dench is nearly outstanding, but that's about all this movie has to offer. It would have helped, I think, if Ms. Dench had a better actor to work with her. Abdul is played by Ali Fazal, who is best known for a smaller role in Furious 7 and roles in Bollywood movies and television, but no real presence on Western screens. That he is tall and good looking is a given, but he is not a tier 1 actor. As a result, his interactions with Dench appear stiff at times and contrived. Frequently it is difficult to tell whether he is trying, maybe a little too hard, to be funny or is expressing a more serious moment. Dench deserves a stronger partner.Although far from a perfect movie, it is still fun to watch. Judi Dench's performance is worth the time, and, especially in today's age of religious and ethnic prejudices, it is encouraging to see a story like this one which at least attempts to portray the power and significance of human relationships. The Queen does die a happier woman because of Abdul.Recommended for Dench's acting, costumes and makeup, and a lighthearted, warming story.