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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Jaideep Ahlawat’s antagonist role in Saif Ali Khan starrer next action film!

Saif Ali Khan and Siddharth Anand's reunion action movie has been sold for Rs 60 crore to Netflix. The movie will also be directed by Robbie Grewal, and it will be produced by Siddharth Anand under the banner of Marflix Production. The film is marketed as an expensive action thriller. Over the news, Sid has mastered the action-thriller subgenre.

Jaideep Ahlawat has been cast by Siddharth Anand to portray the antagonist in this Robbie Grewal-directed movie, according to persons familiar with the project.  “Jaideep has over the years emerged as the top choice for antagonist roles in Hindi films as the actor has time and again reinvented himself in the grey parts. While he was always at the top of the mind for producers to play key roles in the films, his shot to fame is the portrayal of a cop in Paatal Lok,” divulged a source close to the development.

According to the insider, Siddharth admires Jaideep's acting and believes that the actor is the perfect fit for the setting of his future Netflix production. “It’s essentially a racing-against-time action thriller with a heist and a rescue operation in its backdrop. The idea is to spin it into a big-scale action franchise for the digital platform, and all the players are bullish about the prospects of the film,” the source further added.

Hot Jobs: Netflix to offer ₹ 7.4 Crore Annual Salary for this Role!

Utilizing AI in all facets of Netflix's business, including content acquisition and individualized user suggestions, will be part of the product manager role.

Product Manager - Machine Learning Platform is the position's formal title.

To increase the company's internal usage of artificial intelligence, Netflix is seeking an AI product manager with a salary range of up to $900,000 (Rs 7,40,33,775). The position is officially known as Product Manager - Machine Learning Platform, and the chosen candidate will be paid between $300,000 and $900,000. The position will be situated either remotely on the west coast or at Netflix's Los Gatos, California, headquarters.

The position's goal is to "increase the leverage" of Netflix's machine learning program and is currently open.

Utilizing AI in all facets of Netflix's business, including content acquisition and individualized user suggestions, will be part of the product manager role.

With more than 230 million subscribers in 190 nations, Netflix continues to influence the direction of entertainment globally. According to the company's website, "Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence is enabling innovation, from personalizing for members to streamlining our payment processing and other revenue-focused efforts.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are driving innovation across the board in business. The job description continued, "from helping us acquire and produce top-notch content, assisting members in selecting the ideal title through personalisation, to streamlining our payment processes and other revenue-focused activities.

Skills required for the position include written communication and strategic thinking, expertise working with a centralized machine learning platform, the capacity to lead and communicate with Netflix's engineers.

Additionally, Netflix is paying a yearly salary of $650,000 (about Rs 5 crore) for the technical director position in its game studio, which involves expertise in AI.

The job postings come at a time when the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, the Writers Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, and other unions are striking over salary and rising concerns about the use of AI. The offer has drawn a lot of questions and heated discussion about Hollywood's priorities.