Racism exists all over the world: Shrabani Basu

"Victoria & Abdul: the True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant" author Shrabani Basu says the subject of racism is very relevant as it exists all over the world.

Born in Kolkata, Basu grew up in Dhaka, Kathmandu and Delhi. As an author, she likes to go back to the past to tell stories about people forgotten with time. She got popular with her 2010 book "Victoria & Abdul: the True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant", which also got a film adaptation in 2017 with Judi Dench and Ali Fazal leading the cast.

She addressed several issues including racism in her book. And the author says the topic is still relevant.

"It was there then. It is there now. Racism exists all over the world. It is not only in UK. It is present in the US and all around the world. So the issue is present even today. It makes it relevant for people," Basu told IANS.

Helmed by Stephen Frears, the film "Victoria & Abdul" revolves around the relationship shared by Queen Victoria and Abdul, who was a Munshi in her government. It also shows his journey on how he became one of the most powerful figures in the court. The role of the queen is played by Dench and Abdul is essayed by Ali. The movie was aired in India on Sony PIX and Sony Le PLEX HD.

Talking about the film, she said: "It went all around the world. It was fun as it was my first book to be made into a film...A film will always have creative value. My work was non-fiction with the film they will take liberty. They will have to create the dialogues and tell a story within that and I think they have done a fabulous job."

--IANS

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