What’s it about?
Judi Dench is Queen Victoria again in a film that explores the monarch and the the Indian servant who brought light to her final years.

What did we think?
Elizabeth Best says: Queen Victoria is humanised in a delightful way in this Stephen Frears film that’s “Based on true events… mostly.” The monarch’s life is oft visited in cinematic form, but Victoria and Abdul proves her rich history can still provide some surprises. Dench turns in another captivating performance as the regal figure whose crown has become all too heavy in her twilight years. Ali Fazal lights up the screen as her optimistic devoted “Munshi”, a teacher who provided Her Majesty a late-in-life spiritual awakening, much to the disgust of her children. An uplifting, emotional jaunt that’s made no less enjoyable by the fact that it doesn’t really push any boundaries.