The Black Prince

About the film

The Black Prince is a 2017 international historical drama film directed by Kavi Raz and featuring the acting debut of Satinder Sartaaj. It tells the story of Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire and the Punjab region, and his relationship with Queen Victoria.

The story revolves around the young prince as he attempts both to regain his throne and reconcile with the two cultures of his Indian birth and British education.

Plot

After the death of his father, Maharajah Ranjit Singh, the previous ruler of the Sikh empire, Maharaja Duleep Singh is placed on the throne at the age of five. In 1849, when Punjab is annexed to British India, the young prince is removed from the throne and separated from his mother. He is put under the guardianship of British surgeon Dr. John Login. At the age of 15, Duleep Singh is sent to England where he meets Queen Victoria. A relationship between the two develops.

Duleep Singh is eventually able to reestablish contact with his mother and as a result begins to reconnect with the culture of his birth. Duleep attempts to return to India to reclaim his kingdom, but is continually thwarted by British colonial politics.

Production

Written and directed by Los Angeles-based Indian filmmaker Kavi Raz, The Black Prince stars the singer Satinder Sartaaj in his acting debut.

On the relationship between Duleep and the Queen, producer Jasjeet Singh noted: "What’s striking is that the British government treated him terribly, but throughout his life, there was a relationship of great fondness between him and Queen Victoria."

The Black Prince was produced by Brillstein Entertainment Partners; it is a bilingual English-Hindi production. The movie is set in India and the UK.

Release

The Black Prince premiered at the Manchester Film Festival on 3 March 2017 and was released worldwide on 21 July 2017. It was also released in two dubbed versions: Punjabi and Hindi.

Reception

The Black Prince has received generally unfavorable reviews, with most critics decrying the slow pacing as letting down the genuinely interesting subject matter, the Hindustan Times critic said: "The script is sluggish and painfully slow paced."

Of the actors, Shabana Azmi, playing the prince's mother Rani Jindan, was singled out as one of the better performers.

As of December 2023, 7% of the 14 reviews compiled by Rotten Tomatoes are positive and have an average score of 4.1 out of 10.

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