Undeniably heartfelt, and prescient about the hate generated from carving up countries, but delivers a mixed-bag of broadly sketched politics, powerful historical footage and an under-cooked romance.
Factor in a distractingly emotive score and the result is a safe but somewhat timid film that never really stands its ground.
Chadha is an immensely lively storyteller with a great flair for character and humour and an obvious desire to expose injustice.
Chadha weaves together various emotive subplots with varying degrees of success, resulting in a film that’s watchable enough but one that also sometimes feels a little lightweight.
Too quaint, too polite, too focused on the light comedy rather than the terrifying drama.
It may not be the most subtle of films but it improves considerably after a rocky start and there is some excellent support from a cast of British stalwarts.
Director Gurinder Chadha delivers a lavish yet heartfelt account of the household caught in the middle of India’s partition.
Fatima Bhutto on Indian partition film Viceroy's House.
Viceroy's House: Telling the story of India and Pakistan's traumatic birth.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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