Ali Fazal who plays Abdul Karim in Stephen Frears’ Brit drama on his new ‘friend’ Judi Dench
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 14, 2016)

Sitting in his vanity van in London, Ali Fazal sounds nothing like the flamboyant Bollywood actor who made his debut nine years ago. Today, he speaks about Shashi Kapoor whom he is frequently compared to by two-time Academy Award-winning director, Stephen Frears (Shashi and Stephen worked together in the 1987 hit Sammy and Rosie Get Laid) and now, Ali is in his upcoming film, Victoria & Abdul. He’s also set to ring in his 30th birthday with an Anushka Shankar concert on October 15.

Ali plays Abdul Karim, a young clerk who in a turban, mojdis and desi wear travelled from India to be a part of the Queen’s golden jubilee celebrations in 1987 and forged an unlikely friendship with Queen Victoria, who eventually appointed ‘Munshi’ as her Indian Secretary. He served her during the last 15 years of her rule.

“My look will shock everyone! The costumes have been handpicked by Consolata Boyle (who dressed up Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady and Helen Mirren in The Queen),” informs the Lucknow-born actor, who’s been shooting in England and Scotland for the last two months and will wrap up the film in Agra in December.

He’s gained weight for the film too, but now has to get back into shape, for the film’s next portions and his next film, Fukrey 2. His prep also included Urdu classes and handwriting workshops. “The script only demanded one Indian actor and I bagged the part. I was ecstatic! My first shot with Judi Dench was on top of a mountain in Scotland, on a windy day. Abdul needed to shiver and that was easy, since I was nervous, anyways,” he laughs, admitting he’s found a friend in Dame Dench. “She’s the most loved woman in Britain!”

Shooting inside the royal darbar of the Osborne House, built between 1845 and 1851, as a summer home for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, brought Ali closer to his character. “I realised that I’d be the face of Abdul for those who read Shrabani Basu’s book, Victoria & Abdul, in the future,” says Ali, who started reading the book but quit after a few pages because he wanted to experience the era on the set. “My dad and grandfather finished the book in a week, when I told them I’d bagged the film. The day we wrap up, I’ll finish the book in a readathon,” Ali beams.

He marvels at how everything is unbelievably professional, from the scented candle in his vanity van to his interaction with the other actors, including Sir Michael Gambon aka Dumbledore, his fave Harry Potter character. “He’s a legend and rehearsing with him was surreal,” he raves. Ali is more grounded and humbled today, having worked with the greats. He’s happy to cheer on Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan too. “I’m missing India! I watched MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. Sushant (Singh Rajput) was terrific in it!”