Victoria & Abdul (2017)

Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers:

Lee Hall (screenplay by), Shrabani Basu (based on the book by)

Stars:

Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Tim Pigott-Smith

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Judi Dench	...	Queen Victoria
Ali Fazal	...	Abdul Karim
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Sir Henry Ponsonby
Eddie Izzard	...	Bertie, Prince of Wales
Adeel Akhtar	...	Mohammed
Michael Gambon	...	Lord Salisbury
Paul Higgins	...	Dr. Reid
Olivia Williams	...	Lady Churchill
Fenella Woolgar	...	Miss Phipps
Julian Wadham	...	Alick Yorke
Robin Soans	...	Arthur Bigge
Ruth McCabe	...	Mrs. Tuck
Simon Callow	...	Puccini
Sukh Ojla	...	Mrs. Karim
Kemaal Deen-Ellis	...	Ahmed

Storyline

Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) arrives from India to participate in Queen Victoria's (Dame Judi Dench's) golden jubilee. The young clerk is surprised to find favor with the Queen. As Victoria questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance that her household and inner circle try to destroy. As their friendship deepens, the Queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes, joyfully reclaiming her humanity.

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Plot Keywords:

royal court | unlikely friendship | queen of england | muslim | courtier | 

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Taglines:

History's most unlikely friendship

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Victoria's advisers threaten to have her declared insane. She was a year old when her grandfather, George III, died, but she knew he had been declared insane in 1811, and his son, her uncle, had ruled as Prince Regent from 1811 to 1820. She knew that it was possible for her advisers to carry out their threat.

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Goofs

In the late 1800s, the burqa was a white one-piece "shuttlecock"-type covering, not the black multi-layer covering Mrs. Karim wears. The white "shuttlecock " would've allowed different sight gags.

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Quotes

Abdul Karim: Listen, little drop, give yourself up without regret and in return you will gain the ocean. Give yourself away and in the great sea you will be secure.

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Crazy Credits

The title doesn't appear until 16 minutes into the movie.

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Connections

Featured in The Oscars (2018)

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Soundtracks

The Marquis of Huntly's Highland Fling
Traditional
Performed by Willie Cochrane

User Reviews

Surprisingly endearing

My wife and I attended a preview screening last night with no preconceived ideas about the movie, not having even seen a trailer.

We were immediately drawn in and pleasantly surprised by the story, even though we thought it may have been a little far fetched. Until we found that it is a biography and mostly fact. That made the story even sweeter.

Dame Judy Dench's acting was peerless as usual, but by far the biggest revelation was Ali Fazal, who put in a wonderful performance from comedic through emotionally intense.

There was so much I didn't know about Queen Victoria's twilight years that this movie put into perspective, in a way that was consistently entertaining. We laughed and cried. Highly recommended.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

Arabic English Urdu Hindi

Release Date:

6 October 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Victoria & Abdul

Filming Locations:

Cairngorms, Highland, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$158,845, 24 September 2017

Gross USA:

$22,245,070

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$66,558,465

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, Cross Street Films, Perfect World Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1