The costumes from Stephen Frears’s upcoming biographical drama Victoria & Abdul are on display at the Osborne House at Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom until September 30. This comes as no surprise, given how painstakingly detailed and visually stunning they are. Much of the upcoming biographical drama was also shot at Osborne House, which was the Queen’s holiday home, in an attempt to make the film about the real-life friendship between Victoria and her Indian attendant and companion Abdul Karim as authentic as possible.
Judi Dench plays Victoria, while Indian actor Ali Fazal plays Karim in the British production, which will be premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Been Kidron and Tracey Seaward, Victoria & Abdul also stars Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith and Adeel Akhtar. Based on Shrabani Basu’s book of the same name, the movie’s script has been written by Lee Hall.
The costumes have been designed by Oscar-nominated designer Consolata Boyle. “The thought that my costumes for Victoria & Abdul, through this exhibition, and our imaginations, will inhabit the same rooms and gardens where Queen Victoria walked and lingered, makes it a particular honour and joy for me,” Boyle told The Hans India.
Among the locations featured in the film are the Queen’s Indian inspired Durbar Room. Boyle’s costumes include the queen’s V&A monogrammed shoes, a black silk gown with a gold front piece and Abdul’s scarlet and gold robes and peacock blue striped silk turban.
“Osborne was Queen Victoria’s private family home which means visitors can step straight into Queen Victoria’s world when they get here,” added the report. “Victoria & Abdul is the first film to ever use the interiors of Osborne as a location and these costumes add an extra layer to the rich experience of a visit here,” Michael Hunter, English Heritage curator at Osborne House, told the publication.
The movie will be released in the United Kingdom on September 15. Dench has previously played the queen in John Madden’s Mrs Brown (1997). Fazal had a tiny role in Furious 7, and Victoria & Abdul is expected to give an international boost to the young actor.
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