Stephen Frears’ next film, Victoria And Abdul, reunites Judi Dench with the role of Queen Victoria, one she’s already played to BAFTA-winning effect. Frears has now united her with a new co-star, too. Fast 7’s Ali Fazal will be playing Abdul in the true-life drama.
Bollywood actor Fazal is playing Abdul Karim, the Indian clerk who made the long voyage from the subcontinent to participate in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 and somewhere along the way established a firm bond with Her Maj.
An Indian Muslim, Abdul was Victoria’s close attendant for the last 15 years of her reign, earning from her the title of ‘munshi’ or ‘teacher’. Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall has crafted this unexpected friendship into a screenplay.
Alongside his work in Bollywood, Fazal made his mark in Fast 7 (watch the clip below). He played playboy-type Safar, who unwittingly sells the God's Eye to a billionaire thereby offering the gang an unmissable opportunity to drive very fast cars out of a skyscraper. The top part of a skyscraper, obviously.
Working Title’s awards-savvy pair Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are helping steer Victoria And Abdul to the screen as co-producers. Frears is expected to get underway later this year, with a 2017 release earmarked.