Victoria & Abdul - wikipedia Victoria & Abdul Victoria & Abdul British release poster Directed by Stephen Frears Produced by Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Beeban Kidron Tracey Seaward Screenplay by Lee Hall Based on Victoria & Abdul by Shrabani Basu Starring Judi Dench Ali Fazal Eddie Izzard Adeel Akhtar Paul Higgins Michael Gambon Music by Thomas Newman Cinematography Danny Cohen Edited by Melanie Ann Oliver Production company BBC Films Perfect World Pictures Working Title Films Cross Street Films Distributed by Focus Features ( US ) Universal Pictures ( UK ) Release date September 3, 2017 ( 2017 - 09 - 03 ) ( Venice ) September 15, 2017 ( 2017 - 09 - 15 ) ( United Kingdom ) September 22, 2017 ( 2017 - 09 - 22 ) ( United States ) Running time 112 minutes Country United Kingdom United States Language English Box office $57 million Victoria & Abdul is a 2017 biographical comedy - drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Lee Hall. The film is based on the book of same name by Shrabani Basu, about the real - life relationship between Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her Indian Muslim servant Abdul Karim. An unofficial sequel to the 1997 film Mrs Brown, it stars Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott - Smith and Adeel Akhtar. The film had its world premiere at the 74th Venice Film Festival, and was theatrically released on 15 September 2017 in the United Kingdom and 22 September 2017 in the United States. It has grossed over $57 million worldwide. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Release 5 Reception 6 References 7 External links Plot Abdul Karim, a young prison clerk from Agra, India, is instructed to travel to England for Queen Victoria 's Golden Jubilee in 1887 ( four years after the death of John Brown in Mrs Brown ) to present her with a mohur, which has been minted as a token of appreciation from British - ruled India. The Queen, who is lonely and tired of her fawning courtiers, develops an interest in and later a friendship with Abdul. She spends time with him alone, and promotes him to become her Munshi as his guardian. She asks him to teach her Urdu and the Qur'an. When Victoria discovers that he is married, she invites his wife and mother - in - law to join him to England. They arrive wearing black Burqas, to the consternation of the household. While Victoria treats Abdul as a son, his preferment is resented by her household and inner circle, including her son Bertie and the Prime Minister. The household plots to undermine their relationship, hoping that Abdul will be sent home. When Victoria embarrasses herself by recounting to the court the one - sided account 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, and at her Isle of Wight home of Osbourne House, she has the Durbar Room built for state functions, elaborately decorated with carvings by Bhai Ram Singh in an intricate style, and with a carpet from Agra. She hangs portaits of Indians in the House. She tells the household that she intends to give Abdul a knighthood. The Prime Minister is adamant that the royal household must find a way to get rid of Abdul. They research his family background in India, and present Victoria with a dossier to show that his family is more ordinary and poor than Abdul has told her. When Victoria insists her doctor examine Abdul to find out why his wife has not fallen pregnant, he discovers that Abdul has gonorrhea, and rushes to tell the Queen, expecting her to dismiss him in disgust. However, Victoria remains loyal to Abdul and admonishes her courtiers for plotting against him. Eventually the household decides that, if Victoria does not break with Abdul, they will all resign. They also threaten to certify Victoria as insane. When Victoria is told, she angrily summons the entire household to the Durbar Room and demands that anyone who wants to resign step forward. When none do so, she tells them she has decided not to make Abdul a knight, but to include him in her next honours list as a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire. When Victoria falls ill, she urges Abdul to return to India, while she can still provide him with protection. She warns him that when she dies, the court will turn on him. But Abdul insists that he will stay with Victoria until the end of her life. In 1901, Victoria dies. Her son, Edward VII, rejects Abdul, burning all the gifts and papers he has received from the Queen, and sending him and his family back to India. Abdul 's wife manages to save the locket for him. It is revealed that Abdul lived in India until his death eight years later in 1909. The film ends with Abdul kneeling at a large statue of the Queen close to the Taj Mahal, talking to it and kissing its feet in respect. Cast Judi Dench as Queen Victoria Ali Fazal as Abdul Karim Eddie Izzard as Bertie, Prince of Wales Tim Pigott - Smith as Sir Henry Ponsonby Adeel Akhtar as Mohammed Simon Callow as Mr. Puccini Michael Gambon as Lord Salisbury Julian Wadham as Alick Yorke Olivia Williams as Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill Fenella Woolgar as Miss Phipps Jonathan Harden as The Kaiser Paul Higgins as Sir James Reid, Physician to the Queen Robin Soans as Arthur Bigge Sukh Ojla as Mrs. Karim Production On 17 June 2016, it was reported that Judi Dench would play Queen Victoria ( reprising her role from the 1997 film Mrs Brown ) in Victoria & Abdul, a film based on the book of the same name by Shrabani Basu. Stephen Frears was set to direct. On 5 August 2016, it was announced that Ali Fazal would play Victoria 's confidant Abdul Karim, while the film would be co-produced by Working Title Films and BBC Films, and co-financed by BBC and Focus Features. Focus also handles U.S. distribution rights, while Universal Pictures International handles all other countries. The script was written by Lee Hall, and the producers are Beeban Kidron, Tracey Seaward, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner, while the other cast includes Eddie Izzard, Michael Gambon, Tim Pigott - Smith, and Adeel Akhtar. Principal photography on the film began on 15 September 2016, at Victoria 's former royal residence Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Costumes from the production were on display at Osborne House, from 24 July until 30 September 2017. To capitalise on the renewed interest in Victoria arising from both the film and the concurrent second season of ITV 's Victoria television series, the Isle of Wight Tourist Board has created a ' Victoria 's Island Trail ' encouraging tourists to visit the key locations on the island that have connections to the Queen. Release Victoria & Abdul was released for audiences in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2017, followed by a U.S. general release on 22 September. Reception This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( October 2017 ) On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 66 % based on 151 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2 / 10. The site 's critical consensus reads, `` Victoria & Abdul reunites Dame Judi Dench with the role of Queen Victoria -- which is all this period drama needs to overcome its imbalanced narrative. '' On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating `` mixed or average reviews ''. Writing for The Independent, Amrou Al - Kadhi was highly critical : `` Films like Victoria & Abdul seek to absolve our barbaric behaviour in colonised countries. '' He criticised the white - washing of the British Raj and the `` offensive two - dimensionality '' of Abdul 's character, who is shown kissing the feet of Queen Victoria and expressing gratitude for being among the `` glorious people '' of the British Empire. In The Guardian, Simran Hans described the film as `` well - meaning '', but she was also critical of the depictions of both Abdul and the British Empire. She noted that `` The film takes great pains to absolve Victoria of colonial responsibility, painting her, bizarrely, as tolerant and reviled for it. '' Hans also wrote that `` This kind of historical revisionism is a stretch that, at best, works as a cute royalist fantasy and, at worst, dresses up its endorsement of colonialism and empire as something progressive. '' Xan Brooks, writing separately for The Guardian, mocked the attempt to paint Queen Victoria as a `` progressive outrider, railing against white racists '', commenting that the director was only prevented from depicting Victoria as `` Gandhi and Nehru come early '' by historians holding a gun to his head. Brooks concluded that the film, `` about the Raj era that looks as if it was made back then '', was `` peculiarly dodgy ''. In the Daily Express, critic Andy Lea rated the film two out of five, describing Abdul 's character as `` disappointingly servile '' and criticising the plot as `` decent material for a knockabout farce '', but praising Dench as `` predictably brilliant ''. But Rex Reed in the New York Observer wrote : `` Judi Dench gives a touching, majestic performance '' and, complimenting the script and direction, he said that `` every scene is gorgeous to look at, every shot magnificently detailed and richly framed. And the exemplary performances are as good as it gets in movies today. '' In the Irish Independent, Paul Whitington, who rated the movie two out of five, was also critical of its historical revisionism, writing that `` Victoria And Abdul offers a shamelessly saccharine version of British imperial history and seems to imply that the Raj was a bumbling, genial regime rather than a rapacious foreign occupation. The blandly smiling character of Abdul never achieves three dimensions and Izzard plays Bertie as such a conniving, liverish idiot that one wonders how he ever became such a popular king. '' References Jump up ^ `` Victoria & Abdul ''. Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved September 16, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Victoria and Abdul ( 2017 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 6, 2017. Jump up ^ Ritman, Alex ( June 17, 2016 ). `` Judi Dench to play Queen Victoria in Stephen Frears ' ' Victoria and Abdul ' ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 18, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Jaafar, Ali ( August 5, 2016 ). `` Stephen Frears ' ' Victoria and Abdul ' Adds Ali Fazal And Eddie Izzard ; Working Title - BBC Co-Pro, Focus Co-Fi And Distributing ''. Deadline.com. Retrieved August 8, 2016. Jump up ^ Cooley, Isobel ( September 15, 2016 ). `` ' Victoria and Abdul ' filming starts today at Osborne House ''. On The Wight. Retrieved September 16, 2016. Jump up ^ Moreno, Jon ( September 15, 2016 ). `` Dame Judi Dench filming at Osborne House for new Queen Victoria movie ''. Isle of Wight County Press. Retrieved September 16, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Iconic Judi Dench film costumes to go on display at Queen Victoria 's former home ''. The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 23 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Victoria initiative to increase Isle of Wight tourism ''. Isle of Wight County Press. Isle of Wight Country Press. Retrieved 21 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Victoria & Abdul ( 2017 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 6, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Victoria & Abdul reviews ''. Metacritic. Retrieved October 5, 2017. Jump up ^ Al - Kadhi, Amrou. `` Victoria and Abdul is another dangerous example of British filmmakers whitewashing colonialism ''. The Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2017. Jump up ^ Hans, Simran. `` Victoria and Abdul review -- rather fun in a royalist way ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2017. Jump up ^ Brooks, Xan. `` Victoria & Abdul review -- Judi Dench 's class act ca n't compensate for lazy Raj - era nonsense ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2017. Jump up ^ Lea, Andy. `` Victoria and Abdul review : An interesting true story that feels like a cop - out ''. Daily Express. Retrieved 18 September 2017. Jump up ^ Reed, Rex. `` Victoria and Abdul review : Judi Dench Gives a Touching, Majestic Performance in ' Victoria and Abdul ' ''. New York Observer. Retrieved 20 October 2017. Jump up ^ Whitington, Paul. `` Movie reviews : Victoria and Abdul ''. Irish Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2017. External links Official website Victoria & Abdul on IMDb Stephen Frears filmography Feature films Gumshoe ( 1971 ) The Hit ( 1984 ) My Beautiful Laundrette ( 1985 ) Prick Up Your Ears ( 1987 ) Sammy and Rosie Get Laid ( 1987 ) Dangerous Liaisons ( 1988 ) The Grifters ( 1990 ) Hero ( 1992 ) Mary Reilly ( 1996 ) The Van ( 1996 ) The Hi - Lo Country ( 1998 ) High Fidelity ( 2000 ) Liam ( 2000 ) Dirty Pretty Things ( 2002 ) Mrs Henderson Presents ( 2005 ) The Queen ( 2006 ) Chéri ( 2009 ) Tamara Drewe ( 2010 ) Lay the Favorite ( 2012 ) Philomena ( 2013 ) The Program ( 2015 ) Florence Foster Jenkins ( 2016 ) Victoria & Abdul ( 2017 ) Television Three Men in a Boat ( 1975 ) Me ! I 'm Afraid of Virginia Woolf ( 1978 ) Afternoon Off ( 1979 ) Bloody Kids ( 1979 ) Walter ( 1982 ) Walter and June ( 1983 ) Saigon : Year of the Cat ( 1983 ) December Flower ( 1984 ) The Bullshitters : Roll Out The Gunbarrel ( 1984 ) Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door ( 1987 ) The Snapper ( 1993 ) Fail Safe ( 2000 ) The Deal ( 2003 ) Muhammad Ali 's Greatest Fight ( 2013 ) A Very English Scandal ( 2018 ) Works by Lee Hall Films Billy Elliot ( 2000 ) Gabriel & Me ( 2001 ) Pride & Prejudice ( 2005 ) The Wind in the Willows ( 2006 ) Toast ( 2010 ) War Horse ( 2011 ) Victoria & Abdul ( 2017 ) Musicals / opera Billy Elliot the Musical ( 2005 ) Beached ( 2011 ) Plays I Luv You Jimmy Spud ( 1995 ) The Love Letters of Ragie Patel ( 1997 ) The Sorrows of Sandra Saint ( 1997 ) Spoonface Steinberg ( 1997 ) Cooking with Elvis ( 1999 ) NE1 ( 2000 ) The Chain Play ( 2001 ) Child of the Snow ( 2005 ) Two 's Company ( 2005 ) The Pitmen Painters ( 2007 ) Shakespeare in Love ( 2014 ) Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour ( 2015 ) Network ( 2017 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria_%26_Abdul&oldid=809466725 '' Categories : 2017 films English - language films American films British films American biographical films British biographical films American drama films British drama films BBC Films films Cultural depictions of Queen Victoria on film Drama films based on actual events Film scores by Thomas Newman Films about old age Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Stephen Frears Films produced by Tim Bevan Films produced by Eric Fellner Films set in the Victorian era Films set in England Films set in India Films set in London Films set in Scotland Films shot in Hertfordshire Films shot in Agra Films shot in London Films shot in Scotland Films shot in Surrey Films shot in Yorkshire Focus Features films Working Title Films films Films shot in Delhi Hidden categories : Articles to be expanded from October 2017 All articles to be expanded Articles using small message boxes Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Deutsch Español فارسی Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Nederlands Polski Русский Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 9 November 2017, at 08 : 18. 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Question: who plays queen victoria in victoria and abdul
Answer: Judi Dench