Review of Victoria & Abdul (2017) by Dave M — 08 Oct 2017

"Based on a true story... mostly." These opening words appear on the screen to set the tone for the historical drama "Victoria & Abdul" (PG-13, 1:52). The title characters are the U.K.'s Queen Victoria (who lived from 1819 to 1901, reigning from the age of 18 until she died at the age of 81) and her Muslim Indian servant, Abdul Karim (who lived from 1863 to 1909 and served the queen for the last 14 years of her life). Although Abdul is mentioned frequently in the queen's journal and correspondence, scholars only began seriously examining his life and his relationship with the queen over a decade after the 1951 publication of the memoirs of her head of the royal household, Frederick Ponsonby. Additional interest in Victoria and Abdul's relationship grew from Karim's diary which his family finally made public in 2010.

Indian author Shrabani Basu wrote the 2010 historical novel on which the movie is based, but screenwriter Lee Hall ("Billy Elliot") and director Stephen Frears ("The Queen") definitely took some liberties with history. They made a film which condenses the story (as most biopics do) and makes it somewhat light-hearted. They use the basic outline of the historical friendship between the title characters, add a few documented incidents from that relationship and fictionalize the rest of the story. They also choose to overplay certain personal characteristics of the people involved while downplaying others. For example, the real Abdul was more arrogant than the film shows and the queen's son wasn't quite as vindictive as portrayed, but every story needs conflict and having clearly defined heroes and villains helps. Regardless, the spirit of the relationship between Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim is depicted accurately and enjoyably. The two of them formed a close friendship and a very strong bond which occupied the queen for years - and defined Abdul's life, giving him a unique place in history.

It's 1887 and the U.K. is celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria (Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench). She's been Queen of the British Empire for 50 years, but officially been Empress of India for just over a decade. She knows little of the Indian subcontinent, but she is curious about it. When two native Indians, Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) and his friend Mohammed (Adeel Akhtar), are brought to London for the festivities and present a ceremonial coin to the queen, she takes a keen interest in them, especially Abdul. Mohammed hates the British because of their rule over his homeland, while Abdul takes a more positive approach, appreciating the honor of meeting the queen. She is bored with life as (eventually) the longest reigning monarch in British history - and is desperately lonely since the death of her husband years earlier. The friendship between Victoria and Abdul scratches itches for both of them.

When the queen expresses interest in Abdul and Mohammad, they are prevented from going back to India and become her servants for the duration of the jubilee, leading to many more interactions between Victoria and Abdul. His and Mohammad's extended stay gets extended further when the queen gives Abdul the title of Munshi (a type of teacher). At her request, Abdul instructs the queen in the Indian language of Urdu and in the Muslim faith. As the two grow closer, the members of the royal household increasingly object to the presence and rising position of this "common" Indian. Particularly strong objections come from her son, Bertie (Eddie Izzard), the queen's heir apparent. Bertie and other members of the court work to drive a wedge between Victoria and Abdul, but Abdul makes the queen happy and she does her best to stand up for him, even as he remains her devoted servant and friend.

"Victoria & Abdul" is an entertaining look at "history's most unlikely friendship". Hall's script weaves an intriguing tale, even if it does take liberties with the actual histories of the characters and oversimplifies the issues involved in their relationship. The comedic elements sometimes make the movie more enjoyable, but other times feel like silly and unnecessary distractions from what is inherently an interesting story. Although he has done better work helming 2016's "Florence Foster Jenkins", 2013's "Philomena", 1998's "Dangerous Liaisons" and directing Dame Helen Mirren to Oscar glory in 2006's "The Queen", Frears has given us another quality film. Still, its main strength is its acting. Fazal delivers a charming and sympathetic performance, while Dench again shows how well she knows her way around a cinematic throne, after winning an Oscar for portraying Queen Elizabeth I in 1998's "Shakespeare in Love" - and playing a younger Queen Victoria in 1997's "Mrs. Brown". It's a pleasure to watch the two stars interact, while the supporting cast does their share to make this occasionally uneven film well worth a look. "B".