Victoria and Abdul

Front Row at the Movies by Shirrel Rhoades

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Some actresses are born to play royalty. Think: Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth in “The Queen.” Or Judi Dench portraying Queen Victoria in “Mrs. Brown.”

Cate Blanchett did Queen Elizabeth I in two movies, “Elizabeth” and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age.” Now Judi Dench follows suits and plays Victoria for a second time in something of a sequel to “Mrs. Brown,” a new film titled “Victoria and Abdul.”

This is the true-life story of Queen Victoria and her manservant Hafiz Mohammed Abdul Karim. She hired the Indian during her Golden Jubilee in 1887. Soon after, Abdul was promoted to Munshi (a secretary and native language teacher), tasked with instructing her in Hindustani and becoming her travel companion.

The Queen’s maternalistic attitude toward the young man enraged her family and friends. They accused him of spying for the Muslim Patriotic League. However, Victoria dismissed these complaints as racial prejudice. And Abdul remained in her employee until her death, at which time he was repatriated to India.

“Victoria and Abdul” is currently showing at Tropic Cinema.

Dame Judi might as well apply for a trademark on her pitch-perfect portrayal of Queen Victoria. However, it’s Indian actor Ali Fazal who provides the fresh face here. You may have seen him make a special appearance in “Furious 7,” but most of his almost-twenty films have been Bollywood productions little seen in America.

The interesting link is director Stephen Frears. In addition to this on-screen glimpse of royalty, he also gave us “The Queen.” What’s more, Frears directed Judi Dench in “Philomena.”

While the relationship between Queen Victoria and the Munshi may at first seem implausible, it’s interesting to note that she had an earlier relationship with a Scottish servant named John Brown. Lord Sysonby made the observation that “the Munshi occupies very much the same position as John Brown used to do.”

That earlier relationship was thought to be something other than maternalistic, hence the nickname “Mrs. Brown.” It was the basis of that eponymous movie starring Dame Judi.

King Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson? Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles? Princess Diana and Major James Hewitt? Alas, royal scandals aren’t what they used to be.

Email Shirrel: srhoades@aol.com