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:

An untold true story of a queen and her new best friend.

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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

This is Tim Pigott-Smith's final screen role. He died before the movie was released.

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Goofs

At the start, a Muslim call to prayer plays over a loudspeaker, which hadn't been invented in 1887.

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Quotes

Sir Henry Ponsonby: Breakfast with the Royal Princes of Belgium. 11:00, an audience with the Sultan of Dubai, where Her Majesty will be presented with the Diamond of Oojay. Garden party where Her Majesty will receive Oscar II, King of Sweden and Norway, again, and Queen Liliuokalani.
Queen Victoria: Who on Earth is she?
Sir Henry Ponsonby: A monarch and, uh, sole Queen Regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii, Your Majesty. Uh, she has composed a song for you on the ukulele. Uh, but we have managed to put her off. Then you will eat with the Prime Minister and...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Begins with text that says it is "Based on real events... mostly".

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Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: Tulip Fever (2017)

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Soundtracks

Donna Non Vidi Mai
Written by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Simon Callow and Sam Kenyon

User Reviews

Quite disappointing

Being a Pakistani, and a Muslim, I was quite looking forward to watch Victoria & Abdul. It seemed as if a new perspective had been depicted on the subcontinent and the British attitudes towards her colonies. However, this film does not feel real at all. It seems the Queen follows Abdul blindly; this seems strange for a lady who was the Empress of India. Although it is a true story, I feel they could have done much more with the movie so that it would feel real at least. Or maybe the relation between the two was quite unreal.

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