Member review

A young man Abdul Karim arrives from India to participate in Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. The young clerk is surprised to find favour with the queen herself. 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. Despite an uneven narrative and historical inaccuracies, Victoria and Abdul is a delightful film that deserves to be watched this film illustrates how to love others and stand up for their rights when they do not have a voice of their own.

The most thrilling and touching scenes of the movies was when the Queen who is discontent, lonely and bored with her ritualistic life—is captivated by the stories that Abdul, who's a Muslim, tells her about his world and culture. Soon he becomes the Queen's teacher, or Munshi, and begins to teach her about the Qu'ran, the writings of Muslim poet Rumi and how to write in Urdu. Life and joy begin to flow through the Queen's veins once again, as she realizes she hasn't truly "lived" in years. Abdul helps Queen Victoria, who desires a "simple, rudimentary life," see that we are not "all prisoners," and that we can either choose to create a prison for ourselves or choose to be set free by embracing the life we live. To thank Abdul for his friendship and counsel, the Queen gives him a locket which contains her photograph—a locket that he treasures the rest of his life.

However, not everyone in the royal household shares her affection for the new "Munshi". Or, for that matter, his family, which has by now joined him in England. In fact, most of those in the Queen's court are inherently opposed to "the Indian" providing any sort of counsel or friendship to the monarch. And as their friendship grows, so do the levels of jealousy, antipathy and racial tension in the royal household. Influential members of the Queen's administration believe Abdul must go. They plot extreme measures to make it so, twisting Abdul's words and causing a rift between Victoria and her servant. But in the end, they realise that nothing—not even an incident manufactured to foster mistrust—can break the bond that Victoria and Abdul share. It was also very tragic and devastating to see that Abdul's most trusted and loyal friend (Mohammed) had died including the Queen because she was very close to him and she was the most special person in his life. This caused very high tense moments throughout the film.

To conclude, In some ways, Victoria and Abdul feels like a real-life fairy tale come true. But in this story, happily ever after proves more elusive for Abdul, who (along with his family) is ultimately forced to return to India. His loyal years of service are essentially erased from history when the Queen's son, Bertie, then orders correspondence between Victoria and Abdul to be burned. In fact, it wasn't until 2010 that historians discovered some private journals that had survived, and Victoria and Abdul's unlikely friendship was brought fully to light. (Their relationship was chronicled in Shrabani Basu's 2011 book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant, from which this movie draws its narrative details.) This biopic depicts the mundane, human side of what life was probably like for Queen Victoria. The story also uncovers the prejudices and racist tension in Britain at the time, while highlighting the beauty and importance of loving those who have a different ethnic or cultural background. Although we hear some questionable language along the way, the movie's messages about having someone to encourage, support and breathe life back into us still come through loud and clear. It also actually amazes me that this is in fact a true story about how a friendship once developed between Queen Victoria and an Indian Muslim servant.

I am so sorry I haven't been writing reviews for so long I have just been so busy with my exams and school it has been almost a year since I have written any reviews! It is so good to back and I do promise to continue writing more reviews soon. The minute I saw this film I was like I have to write a review on this and I am hoping many more people will watch it because it isn't like other movies it is based on a true story. Thank you for taking time to read this review I hope you all enjoy the last 3 weeks of school before summer holidays have fun enjoy yourselves! If, you do have any queries or comments at all don't be afraid to write them down in any of your reviews. I will be trying to read some of your reviews if I can and I can't wait to see read them good luck! Good luck Mrs Rhodes you have been an fantastic teacher and I wish you the best in everything that you do I will miss you and Miss Ilsley congratulations I am so happy for you I wish you the best of luck with your new job you have been an incredible teacher and I wish you both all the best.