The Royals (2025 Indian TV Series) - A Modern Royal Rom-Com!

"The Royals" is a Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama web series that premiered on Netflix on May 9, 2025. Created by Rangita Pritish Nandy and Ishita Pritish Nandy, and directed by Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana, the 8-episode series offers a contemporary take on the lives of a financially struggling royal family in India.

Plot:

The narrative centers around the royal family of Morpur, whose fortunes have dwindled in modern times. Their ancestral palace, once a symbol of grandeur, is now a financial burden. An unexpected turn of events occurs when the young and somewhat entitled heir, Yuvaraj Aviraaj "Fizzy" Singh (Ishaan Khatter), reluctantly teams up with a determined and ambitious hospitality entrepreneur from Mumbai, Sophia Kanmani Shekhar (Bhumi Pednekar).

Sophia proposes a unique business venture: to revive the Motibagh Palace as a luxury "Royal B&B," allowing commoners to experience royal life firsthand and providing the much-needed income for the family. This collaboration brings together two contrasting worlds – the traditional opulence of royalty and the fast-paced, pragmatic world of a startup.

As Fizzy and Sophia work together, their initial clashes due to their starkly different backgrounds gradually give way to an undeniable romantic connection. However, their budding romance is complicated by their individual pasts, with the return of Sophia's ex, Kunal (Udit Arora), and Fizzy's ex, Ayesha (Nora Fatehi).

The series also explores the dynamics within the royal family, including the matriarch Rajmata Maji Saheba Bhagyashree Devi (Zeenat Aman), Fizzy's mother Maharani Padmaja "Paddy" Singh (Sakshi Tanwar) who is grappling with the loss of her husband and the family's financial woes, and his siblings Yuvaraj Digvijay "Diggy" Singh (Vihaan Samat) and Yuvarani Divyaranjini "Jinnie" Singh (Kavya Trehan). The traditional expectations for a royal marriage to secure their future also add another layer of conflict.

Cast:

The series features an ensemble cast:

• Ishaan Khatter as Yuvaraj Aviraaj "Fizzy" Singh
• Bhumi Pednekar as Sophia Kanmani Shekhar
• Zeenat Aman as Rajmata Maji Saheba Bhagyashree Devi
• Sakshi Tanwar as Maharani Padmaja "Paddy" Singh
• Nora Fatehi as Ayesha Dhondi
• Vihaan Samat as Yuvaraj Digvijay "Diggy" Singh
• Dino Morea as Nawab Salauddin "Salad" Khan
• Milind Soman as Maharaj Yuvanath Singh
• Chunky Panday as Ranjit Shroff
• Lisa Mishra as Niki Kaushik
• Sumukhi Suresh as Keerthana
• Luke Kenny as Adi Mehta / Maurice
• Kavya Trehan as Yuvarani Divyaranjini "Jinnie" Singh
• Udit Arora as Kunal Mehta
• Adinath Kothare as Zubin Daruwala
• Alyy Khan as Nawab of Dhondi
• Shweta Salve as Sameera Kashyap
• Yashaswini Dayama as Molshri Mittal
• Shivani Tanksale as Rambha
• Neena Kulkarni as Sophia's grandmother
• Jagdish Rajpurohit as Girdhari

Release and Reception:

"The Royals" premiered on Netflix on May 9, 2025. The series has received mixed reviews from critics. While the production design and the chemistry between the lead actors, Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar, have been praised, the writing and narrative depth have faced criticism for lacking originality and emotional resonance. Some reviews noted the series as a "fun rom-com" with a blend of Bollywood elements and a period-drama sensibility, while others found it creatively lacking despite its talented cast.

Soundtrack:

The soundtrack for "The Royals" was released on May 5, 2025, and features a recreated version of the iconic song "Tu Tu Hai Wahi" from the 1982 film Yeh Vaada Raha, sung by various artists.

"The Royals" offers a light-hearted and visually appealing take on the collision of traditional royalty and modern entrepreneurship, with a central romantic track playing out against the backdrop of palace intrigue and family dynamics.

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