Ali Fazal to play the lead role in a Hollywood film alongside Judi Dench

Mumbai: After the recent news about Nargis Fakhri bagging a lead role in an international project, it’s Ali Fazal’s turn now.

The ‘Fukrey’ actor, who’d appeared in a quirky cameo in ‘Furious 7’, will be seen playing the lead alongside Academy Award winning English legend Judi Dench in a Hollywood film christened ‘Victoria and Abdul’.

Ali will be seen playing Abdul Karim, a young servant from India who unexpectedly becomes a confidant and teacher to Queen Victoria, to be played by Dench.

The film is based on Shrabani Basu’s book ‘Victoria and Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closet Confidant.’

“I can’t wait to take on Judi. She is the cherry on this wonderful pudding. The most loved woman of Britain and probably the world. It was a process of endless auditions and readings and conversations and today I am so glad that they grilled fully into it to a point of no return. I am ecstatic and I guess it hasn’t really sunk in. So I will take a bow when I finish my work on the film. The fun has just begun,” Ali said in a statement.

The film will be helmed by Stephen Frears, who’d also made the critically acclaimed ‘Philomena’ with Judi Dench.

“It doesn’t get better. I have known about this beautiful story for ages and never thought I would be destined to play out this character. Frears is one of my all-time favourite directors,” adds Ali, who’ll soon be seen in ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ alongside Abhay Deol, Jimmy Shergill and Diana Penty.

The film being produced by Working Title Films will be distributed worldwide by Focus Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal.