The Empress – Lyric Hammersmith
Tanika Gupta takes on the mammoth task of weaving three narratives spanning over 13 years marking the golden era of the British Empire under the rule of Queen Victoria with her Golden Jubilee celebration. Directed by Pooja Ghai, The Empress reveals the larger truths about Asians, especially Indian Ayahs and lascars in Victorian Britain.
A boat carries Rani (Tanya Katyal), an Indian Ayah accompanying a British family, Hari (Aaron Gill), a lascar/sailor, political leaders Dadabhai Naoroji (Simon Rivers), Gandhi (Anish Roy), and Abdul Karim (Raj Bajaj), an Indian servant meant to be a gift to Queen Victoria for her golden jubilee, to the cold British Isles, all with different expectations and dreams. As their narratives progress, colonial atrocities are revealed. While a 16-year-old Rani i...