Focus Features has unveiled the first trailer for Victoria & Abdul directed by Stephen Frears (Florence Foster Jenkins, The Queen). The film is based on the novel of the same name by author Shrabani Basu.
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The film is based on the true story of Queen Victoria's autumn years when she befriended one of her Indian servants named Karim. The friendship between the Queen (Judi Dench) and 24-year-old Karim (Ali Fazal) sparked rumours and ended up being one of the most scandalous incidents of her 64-year reign. The film poster also describes the relationship as "History's most unlikely friendship."
In the trailer, Karim is sent to England to attend Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Although the friendship between the Queen and her footman is looked down upon by her contemporaries, even her sons and relatives do not bother spying on the then Empress of India.
However, the trailer also shows how Karim gradually becomes close to the Queen and teaches her Urdu language and Quran. He also introduces mango fruit to her Majesty, as he mentions it as 'Queen of Fruits.'
According to a report by The Telegraph, when Queen Victoria died, her son King Edward ordered all records of their relationship, including correspondence and photographs, to be destroyed. But somehow Karim's family managed to hide Karim's diary more than a century.
The author Shrabani Basu discovered the documents after writing Victoria & Abdul, her book on the fascinating relationship between the Queen and her Indian servant. Later she updated her book with the exclusive information from Karim's 'lost diary'.
Here's the official synopsis for Victoria & Abdul.
The extraordinary true story of an unexpected friendship in the later years of Queen Victoria's (Academy Award winner Judi Dench) remarkable rule. When Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), a young clerk, travels from India to participate in the Queen's Golden Jubilee, he is surprised to find favor with the Queen herself. As the Queen questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance with a loyalty to one another that her household and inner circle all attempt to destroy. As the friendship deepens, the Queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes and joyfully reclaims her humanity.
Watch the Victoria & Abdul trailer below.
The film also features Adeel Akhtar, Simon Callow, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Ruth McCabe, Tim Pigott-Smith, Julian Wadham, Olivia Williams, and Fenella Woolgar. Victoria & Abdul is slated for release on September 15 in UK and September 29 in the US.
