I’ve grown to really enjoy director Gurinder Chadha’s movie’s.
She is best known for blending Indian and Western story lines resulting in hilarity with hits such as Bend it like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice.
So, when I found out she would be directing a serious drama about India’s fight for independence and the partition of the country I was sceptical as I had no idea how she would handle such an vast and intense subject.
However, Ms Chada has proven she is a masterful storyteller her latest movie Viceroy’s House.
It is an epic yet intimate portrayal of India the jewel in the crown, in the days leading towards her independence from British rule, led by revered leaders Nehru, Ghandi and Jinnah.
Amidst the fight for independence the Muslim population want a nation of their own, Pakistan, so Britain sends Lord Mountbatten and his family to ease the transition of power and minimise the bloodshed.
No one can do British aristocrat quite like Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey).
He plays Lord Mountbatten, the quintessential British lord who does not show emotion in public.
Underneath his reserve Bonneville brings to life Lord Mountbatten’s genuine love for India as he tries to steer her through the ensuing riots following independence.
The heart of the movie, however, lies in the love story between Jeet Kumar (Manish Dayal) and Aalia (Huma Quereshi) a Hindu boy in love with a Muslim girl.
Also, joining the cast is Gillian Anderson as Lady Mountbatten a force to be reckoned with, Michel Gambon, Lily Travers, and renowned Bollywood actor Om Puri.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Rated: PG
Distributor: Transmission Films
In cinemas May 18
