Victoria & Abdul: British filmmakers whitewashing colonialism

A recent release of British filmmaker Stephen Frears’ Victoria & Abdul has apparently offended many viewers as it stands as yet another example of British filmmakers’ whitewashing colonialism. The film, which features Judi Dench playing long-reigning Queen Victoria, depicts an unlikely friendship between the monarch and Abdul Karim, an Indian man who became her servant and teacher. Abdul Karim is shipped from India, without a say in the matter, to gift the queen with a coin. Criticising the film’s treatment, Amrou Al-Kadhi wrote on The Independent that Dench’s character Queen Victoria is “portrayed as what seems to be the most woke monarch in British history; when met with antagonism about her new friendship, she is furious with her court for being ‘racialists.’” Al-Kadhi also wrote, “Abdul, her servant, is written with offensive two-dimensionality. The Queen’s servant worships the ground the Queen walks on, and even kisses her feet. A fact that repeatedly reminds the audience that she is the Empress of India. What does Abdul Karim gain when Queen Victoria is offered a new lease of life by treating Abdul like an exotic poet? Well, it seems he only gains “the great privilege” of being among the “glorious people” of the British Empire. The film appears to oblivious to the horrors of British colonialism and glossing over such tragedies as the death of an Indian servant at the hands of a British master. The film’s final scene shows Abdul who is back in India, kissing the feet of a Queen Victoria statue which stands in front of the Taj Mahal. Period dramas such as this are pitched as light entertainment but they are deeply rooted in the merciless grip of British imperialism.