When 24-year-old Abdul Karim, a clerk in Agra prison, was sent to Windsor Castle to present the Indian mohar (coin) to Queen Victoria, the Empress of India was impressed by the “tall and handsome man”, who knew a smattering of English. Karim was soon elevated from being a footman to the Queen’s munshi, taught her Urdu and discussed matters concerning India. She taught him English and discussed a variety of matters concerning her. Thus began a friendship, much to the Royal Family’s disdain, which eventually resulted in Karim being deported after the Queen’s death, and his story getting buried in the annals of history. The unknown tale was told by Shrabani Basu in her book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Confidant, in 2010. Almost seven years later, director Stephen Frears and writer Lee Hall are ready with their film Victoria and Abdul starring Judi Dench and Indian actor Ali Fazal. Basu has also been a consultant for the film, which releases in September. Excerpts: How did you stumble upon the story of Queen Victoria and her Indian footman, Abdul Karim? The story came to me when I was researching for my book, Curry, which spoke of the history of curry from the days of the Raj, and figured that Queen Victoria enjoyed eating it and that she had some Indian servants. I later visited the Osborne House in the Isle of Wight and there I found portraits of the Queen and Abdul Karim, in which he looked like a nawab and not a servant. In one he stood in Queen Victoria’s dressing room, and another had him holding a book. It aroused my curiosity. Tell me about the research for the book, which continued even after the book was published. Was there any hostility from the royal family during the process? It took me four years of solid research and reading through a lot of private papers. I travelled all over England, and also took an eight-hour walk to Widow’s Cottage in Balmoral where the two used to walk. I also went to Agra and hunted for Abdul Karim’s grave and found it totally deserted. I went to his old house where a Hindu family lives now; they told me Karim’s family had migrated to Pakistan. I tried finding them but didn’t even have a name. So, hit a dead end. Post the book’s publication, the family got in touch and told me that they had Abdul Karim’s diary in Karachi. It was amazing – a diary lying for a 100 years in a trunk, which was meant to be destroyed by the royal family, survived the riots, the Partition and went from Agra to Karachi. Since I was accessing the Royal Family’s private archive, I had to take a lot of permissions. And they let me look through all of it without any questions. They also allowed me to have photocopies of Urdu papers to be translated later. Did research and reading of the Queen’s journals change your perspective of her? Absolutely. When I started out, the impression I had of Queen Victoria was of someone who represented the Empire, crushed the Mutiny and seized the Kohinoor. Then there was her famous line: ‘We aren’t amused’. But she, in fact, was amused. The whole concept of Victorian prudery didn’t exist for her. Her journals are amazingly frank. She learnt Urdu and rooted for Indians while living in a family that was completely racist and prejudiced. The trailer of the film is already a subject of conversation. What was your role in the making of the film? Lee Hall approached me in 2011, after the book released. I've been a consultant for the film, and helped research costumes. I brought out photographs of prisoners in Agra jail and they replicated that. They even sourced old looms on which carpets were woven. The film releases in September, soon after the Brexit has caused a rising migrant feeling in the UK. There’s a young Muslim man at the heart of the Royal Court and causing a lot of confusion. The way he is treated badly by them and the way he is treated after Victoria’s death and deported is completely relatable to the current times. Look, what’s happening all around us. It’s an intriguing relationship between two individuals from different spectrums. It is. There’s an age divide, class divide and every divide possible. And yet somewhere they find common ground and that’s the humanity of it. He is the confidant, friend, son. The physical side is important too — Queen Victoria loved a tall handsome man next to her. At the heart of the story is a unique friendship that doesn't understand or follow any kind of divide.
