Shrabani Basu: There were many layers to Victoria

Judi Dench and Ali Fazal in Victoria & Abdul

Shrabani Basu couldn't particularly explore Abdul Karim's relationship with his wife, given that her book, Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant, was a non-fiction. But, in the cinematic adaptation that made its way to the big screen last year, Basu says she hoped "some of his [Karim] conversations with his wife" could have been explored further. Yet, the writer isn't disheartened.

She calls herself lucky to have Dame Judi Dench slip into the role of Queen Victoria in Stephen Frears's British biographical drama. "There are so many layers to her. She goes through sadness, excitement and greediness; everything that her character [comprises]. No one but Judi could have done it," Basu tells mid-day as the film gears up for a television screening on November 12 on Sony Pix.

Shrabani Basu

As for the part of Karim, Basu is glad she got Ali Fazal to add charm to the role of Victoria's confidant. "He is far more handsome than Karim was. They [Fazal and Dench] shared a good chemistry. Also, the film had to be realistic, and charm viewers. So I was only happy [that he played the part]. People point out to scenes that they feel were not reality. However, a lot of the small anecdotes in the film have, in fact, been taken from my book. They were true. Even though cinema affords one creative liberties, I would say 85 per cent of the film was based on the book."

Basu speaks of the precision employed in curating the costumes and zeroing in on the "beautiful" locations with childlike enthusiasm. "Also, it is a popular [here, commercial] film, which means it reached out to more people. It was not a small production that only a few got to see. I'm glad that the story of the Queen's aide, and that she learnt Urdu, reached everyone."

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