Le Dernier Vice-Roi des Indes

The film is beautifully acted and a good sub-plot revolving around staff in the viceroy's house.

However, the central conceit of the movie is complete rubbish (plot spoiler averted)...The film, unwittingly or deliberately, robs the Indians and Pakistanis of any agency in their own fate when, in fact, I-Congress and Jinnah made nearly all the running on what happened at partition. The potential for terrible violence between the two main religious communities was always present in India and not a cunning ruse by the imperial government or the Mughals before them. Less painful to blame third parties...

Anyway, the history aside this is a very well put together movie. It would have got 9 stars if it had not played so fast and loose with the truth, which matters if we are to deal with the hurts of the world.

Honestly looking at the trailer, I was expecting a story that was made for TV but attempted to be bold enough to grace the big screen. I couldn't be anymore wrong. The last viceroy of India is tasked with leading the country before its eventual independence which soon turns into a communal massacre. The Partition of India back in 1947 is an important moment of modern history where this drama serves as a reminder of the monumental loss during the nationwide migration. Over one million souls lost their lives during the violent conflict between Muslims and Hindus, with many families being torn apart through abrupt segregation. Given that the director was the granddaughter of a survivor, there is a personal touch to the melodrama that unfolds. From simple quibbling of deciding which food items, people and furniture remain in India or are sent to Pakistan to the more serious issues of rationing supplies to refugee camps. Chadha deftly embeds the culture of India to the heartbreaking partitioning process, allowing the balance for historical importance and a fictitious romance to coincide together. The latter sub-plot, resembling a 'Romeo & Juliet' scenario, seemed to be the primary focus of the first act which unfortunately detracted from the main and far superior plot of India's independence. However the story gets back on track during the second half which quickly grabs your attention back. Bonneville and Anderson gave satisfactory performances, although occasionally lacked emotional conviction. Also the melodrama became too excessive at times, trying too hard to make you tear up. Credit where credit is due though, I did shed a tear towards the end which was certainly the most poignant act of the entire film. I do love a good "running through the crowd" scene. A slightly uneven start irons itself out towards the end to produce a sumptuous and important historical drama that will leave you reaching for the tissues by its conclusion. Atleast I know what a viceroy is now...

The partition of India is a fascinating piece of post-war history, and one that can be told from all manner of viewpoints. So you'd expect any historical retelling of the events to have some real drama and tension. Viceroy's House doesn't quite manage that, generally settling for a more visually lush depiction of the history that only gets into the heavier side of the true events very late on. It's still a historically interesting watch, and with good performances and directing, a pleasant one too, but not quite the fiery historical drama that it could have been.

Let's start on the plus side, however, with the visuals. If there's one thing that this film does really well, it's capture the vibrant real-life locations of both the Viceroy of India's residence and the streets of India. Filmed entirely on location, the grandeur of the main stage is fantastic to look at, whilst the costume design that ranges from Viceroy Mountbatten's decorated military attire to the colourful uniforms and dress of the Indian people is central to the film's more pleasant atmosphere.

Another thing that helps to make this a pleasant watch is the performances. The screenplay doesn't really bring any depth of character to any of the main players, and I can't really say any of the lead actors did much to bring that about either, however the likes of Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson as Lord and Lady Mountbatten, as well as Manish Dayal and Huma Qureshi in supporting roles, give this a very confident and classy atmosphere that stands up well on screen.

However, that's where the positives start to end. Although I can say that the film does a good job at telling the facts of the end of British rule in India, and is interesting for anyone who wants an education into the time period, it doesn't really manage to do it with any sort of vigour or passion.

Throughout, this feels like a collection of good actors reading out the final chapter of a school history textbook about British India in the real locations. It's interesting to see, but it's by no means a cinematic masterclass.

That's where the directing and writing should have come in to make something more memorable out of the history. Unfortunately, the screenplay offers very little in the way of emotional or dramatic character depth, which means that the conflicts that arise don't have any sort of power, and the directing is more focused on the visual aspect of the film, rather than giving it a solid pace and riveting atmosphere.

And that remains the case for almost the entire movie, save for the very final act. If there's one part of Viceroy's House that does the gravity of the history justice, it's right at the end, and features the only few minutes of the film that are both informative and emotionally engaging.

On the whole, I had a nice enough time with Viceroy's House. It's not as dramatic nor passionate a retelling of India's independence as it definitely should be, and with average writing and directing, there's not much to really grab onto. However, with some delightfully vibrant visuals from start to finish, as well as some good central performances, this is a pleasant watch.

"Our time frame for leaving won't work!" Lady Mountbatten (Gillian Anderson)

Some would say the final partition of India creating Pakistan never worked, albeit a solution to the violence between Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs was needed with the pending quitting of Britain from rule in 1947. The historical and humane Viceroy's House takes us nimbly yet sometimes brutally through the Solomon-like assignment of Lord Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville) to bring peace and partition.

Although this fascinating film could be accused of being more Masterpiece Theater than history, it brings home in the best period-piece fashion the almost insoluble task of stopping the fighting among factions and fairly apportioning the sub-continent. Mahatma Gandhi's (Neeraj Kabi) opposition, as he favored a unified continent, was the counterbalance to the raw pain of partition but unrealistic given the prevailing hostilities. The film does not oppressively dwell on the philosophy or the brutality: They are just there as if they always were.

Helping the transition is A. R. Rahman's musical score appropriately classical and grave at times and then lightly Indian as the time draws near. Viceroy's House has a workman-like period piece feel to it. It also has a soap-opera like romance between Muslim Aalia (Huma Qureshi) and Hindu Jeet (Manish Dayal), an attempt to provide a figurative representation of the cultural clashes borne of tradition and the impending upending with Britain's leaving.

The spiritual presence of Churchill, who ended up being the actual architect of the partition, left an independent Mountbatten to come to Churchill's solution without even knowing about it. The various bloody factions are well-perceived as unavoidable given the massive population and the complex challenges of partition.

The oil and coastal-protecting motives are there in muted acknowledgment of the inevitable political background of the largest mass movement of human beings in history. Here is a history worth knowing if only to clarify the prevailing hostility between India and Pakistan and the allure Pakistan has for trouble-prone world powers.

If for nothing else, enjoy the period costumes and settings. Downton Abbey would approve.

An entertaining and well-acted movie covering (a version of) the events around partition. The problem with these historical movies is 1) they are skewed to the narrative of the production team and 2) they do not capture the scale & complexity of the geopolitical realities prevailing at the time. Nonetheless, the atmosphere of chaos as the sub-continent is divided is well portrayed and underpinned by some stunning archive clips.