The first trailer has been released for the upcoming Viceroy’s House, a rousing historical drama set in the final months of British rule in India.
Released to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Independence of India and the founding of Pakistan, Viceroy’s House casts Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson as Lord and Lady Mountbatten, the former installed as the last British ruler of the country, tasked with handing India back to its own people.
But conflict soon erupted over the arrangement, with a decision taken to divide the country of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs by forming a new Muslim homeland: Pakistan. Along with political upheaval, the film tells the story of a young couple, Hindu servant Jeet and his intended Muslim bride, Aalia, who are forced to come to terms with a country becoming increasingly divided along religious lines.
The project is of particular significance for director Gurinda Chadha, best known for her film Bend It Like Beckham, whose family were caught up in the tragic events that unfolded as the Raj came to an end.
Viceroy’s House, which co-stars Michael Gambon, Simon Callow, Manish Dayal, Huma Qureshi and Om Puri, will hit cinemas March 3, 2017.
