In 1897 Queen Victoria antagonized family and court with her relationship with Indian servant Abdul Karim. Originally a waiter the devious and arrogant young man won over the queen by playing on her love of Indian cuisine and romantic view of the country,teaching her Hindistani,whilst she signed letters to him 'Mother',bestowing houses and gifts on him and his family. Already shocked that a Muslim should be at the heart of the court the Royal family stepped in when Victoria announced her desire to knight him and they threatened to have her declared insane if she went ahead. It worked. And in 1901 after the queen's death Karim was banished from Royal circles,returning to India where he died.
Direction
Reenactments that walk the line between stuffy and scandalous.
Production
Victorian opulence contrasted with petty bureaucratic cruelty.
Director
Rob Coldstream
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Victoria's letters to Karim were suppressed for over a century; the Royal Archives only released them in 2010 after a legal battle with his descendants.
This documentary predates the 2017 Judi Dench film 'Victoria & Abdul' by five years, and honestly has more bite.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
US
GB
