WithVictoria & Abdulnow playing in limited release and expanding into more cities this weekend, I had the chance to sit down withJudi DenchandAli Fazalfor an exclusive video interview. Directed byStephen Frears(The Queen,High Fidelity) and scripted byLee Hall(Billy Elliot), the film is based onjournalist Shrabani Basu’sbookVictoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant. The film tells the true story of Queen Victoria’s (Dench) latter years, when she befriended a young clerk from India namedAbdul Karim(Fazal) and subsequently struck an unlikely and deep friendship that was looked down upon by her contemporaries. The film also starsAdeel Akhtar,Eddie Izzard, Simon Callow,Michael Gambon,RuthMcCabe,Tim Pigott-Smith,Julian Wadham,Olivia Williams, andFenella Woolgar.
During the interview, Judi Dench and Ali Fazal talked about how the film is a crowd-pleaser, what it was like working with Stephen Frears and the way he likes to offer suggestions on set, how they first heard about the true story, and Dench shares a great story about working withClint Eastwood.
Check out what they to say in the player above; below is exactly what we talked about and the official synopsis.
Judi Dench and Ali Fazal:
Here’s the official synopsis forVictoria & Abdul:
Academy Award winner Judi Dench (“Shakespeare in Love”) reunites with Academy Award-nominated director Stephen Frears (“The Queen”), and returns to the role of Queen Victoria, in “Victoria & Abdul.” The screenplay of “Victoria & Abdul” is by Academy Award nominee Lee Hall (“Billy Elliot”), based on journalist Shrabani Basu’s book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant., which brought to light the long-hidden history of Victoria and Abdul from their own diaries and journals. The extraordinary true story of the amazing and unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) and a young clerk, Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), who becomes her teacher, her spiritual advisor, and her devoted friend. In 1887, Abdul travels from India to present a ceremonial medal as part of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee but surprisingly finds favor with the elderly Queen. The unprecedented and unlikely relationship causes a battle royale within the royal household, pitting the Queen against court and family. “Victoria & Abdul” humorously explores questions of race, religion, power, and the farce of Empire through the prism of a highly unusual and deeply moving friendship.
