Thank you, Mr... Abdul. Abdul Karim. I am always writing. In India, I'm writing, a-all...
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[as Queen Victoria reaches for her stamp, Abdul grabs it for her instead]
Queen Victoria:
Thank you, Mr...
Abdul Karim:
Abdul. Abdul Karim.
[Queen Victoria continues to write her letters]
Abdul Karim:
I am always writing.
[Queen Victoria looks at him]
Abdul Karim:
In India, I'm writing, a-all day, every day.
Queen Victoria:
So in India, you are not a servant?
Abdul Karim:
No. In India, I'm writing in my very big book.
Queen Victoria:
You're writing a book?
Abdul Karim:
Yes. I'm writing every name, who they are, what they have done. This is my life. Every day, I'm writing, from morning to night.
Queen Victoria:
And this is fiction?
Abdul Karim:
No. It is the very truth.
Queen Victoria:
I don't understand. If you are an author, why are you here, uh, presenting me with the m... uh, with the m...
Abdul Karim:
Mo-Mohur.
[Queen Victoria nods]
Abdul Karim:
It is my humble privilege to serve Her Majesty.
[Queen Victoria smiles, then continues to write her letters]
Abdul Karim:
I was the one who chose your carpets.
Queen Victoria:
Carpets?
Abdul Karim:
Yes. The Viceroy asked Mr. Tyler, sir, but actually, it was me. Y-you have to have a very good eye for the carpets. Uh, like...
[walks to the carpet in front of the desk]
Abdul Karim:
This is a very nice one, for example. Very, very tight knots. The art of carpets, uh, came to India from Persia with the great Emperor Akbar. The s-skill of a carpet is to bring all the different kinds of threads together and weave something we can all stand on.
Queen Victoria:
You seem to know a great deal about it.
Abdul Karim:
My family were carpet makers, but now I write in the book. Life is like a carpet. We weave in and out to make a pattern.
Queen Victoria:
That is a very beautiful image.
Abdul Karim:
Look. Here is the bird of freedom, caught forever in the design.
Queen Victoria:
So, in India, you are a poet?
Abdul Karim:
No. In India, I make a ledger of the prisoners.
Queen Victoria:
We are all prisoners, Mr. Karim.
Transcript
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:02.069
That's right
00:00:02.024 --> 00:00:04.356
We are the ones who make this palace work
00:00:04.056 --> 00:00:06.312
and we are being ignored
00:00:06.052 --> 00:00:07.052
and exploited Yes
00:00:07.068 --> 00:00:10.433
We have to stand up to this wanton bullying
00:00:10.006 --> 00:00:12.352
But she's the Queen
00:00:12.088 --> 00:00:14.438
She's our sovereign
00:00:14.068 --> 00:00:19.002
Her position is based entirely on the implicit contract she makes with us
00:00:19.072 --> 00:00:22.871
If she does not drop this preposterous insult
00:00:23.998 --> 00:00:25.002
we should all leave
00:00:25.024 --> 00:00:26.719
Yes
00:00:27.028 --> 00:00:30.511
Somebody has to tell her
00:00:31.044 --> 00:00:34.796
We should make a deputation
Clip duration: 36 seconds
Views: 173
Timestamp in movie: 01h 18m 17s
Uploaded: 16 March, 2022
Genres: biography, comedy, drama
Summary: Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.
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