The Royals review : Ditzy, lame characters in a crumbling palace

Netflix’s new web series The Royals- featuring Bhumi Pednekar and Ishaan Khatter- holds a lot of potential. In a crime thriller-infested OTT space, light-hearted romantic comedies are a win-win, particularly at a time when there is so much despair outside the screen otherwise. One would ideally want to sit back, grab a bucket of popcorn or a tub of ice cream, and binge-watch the slow-burning romance between Ishaan and Bhumi on the show. The Royals, after all, is a story of a reluctant prince and a go-getter self-made woman- they look good, they have smoldering chemistry, and the locations are fabulous- all serving as a perfect ingredient for a feel-good romance drama. Yet creator Rangita Pritish Nandy’s The Royals falters too much, making the premise of the whole show feel too superfluous and lame to be taken seriously.

The Plot

Sophie Kanmani Shekhar, the hot-shot CEO of a hospitality brand, meets horse-loving, reluctant heir to the throne of Morpur, Aviraaj Singh, and sparks fly. She is an impulsive overachiever, while he is a reluctant King of a cash-strapped, crumbling palace. Their first meeting doesn’t go the way they initially think it would. Soon enough, Sophie comes knocking to Motibagh Palace in Morpur, which is a unique B&B experience where commoners can meet and interact and live for a few days with the royals. Aviraaj is obviously not keen on the idea, but his brother Digvijay and mother Padmaja remind him of the impending dues that the Palace has to pay and he eventually agrees. But can all things be that smooth? Throw in some past secrets, exes, the looming presence of Aviraaj’s late father, some secret desires and dreams and a skeptical Venture Capitalist who is not willing to place bets on Sophia’s risky ideas – and it’s chaos all over. And amid all this, can love blossom between a Rajkumar and an ‘aam kumari’? Can the King save his kingdom? Can the CEO safeguard her company and roll out her most ambitious project?

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What works

It is a story of Indian royalty that blends modernity with Indian traditions. The Royals has a very good-looking cast, and equally well-shot locations, which makes the series visually very appealing. The makers also ensemble an interesting set of actors together- from Sakshi Tanwar who plays the complicated Padmaja to the reluctant prince Ishaan Khatter to Bhumi Pednekar, the ambitious CEO to Adinath Kothare, the shrewd VC of Bhumi’s company- the show boasts of credible actors. It also features Zeenat Aman in the most underwritten character of a Rajmata, who comes and goes without really creating much of an impact. Along with these big names, there are also internet stars like comedian Sumukhi Suresh, Lisa Mishra, and OTT regular Vihaan Samant- each playing their parts well.

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Khatter and Pednekar’s romance is the highlight of the show, and the actors look super hot and exude hot chemistry. Both credible actors in their own right, they together try to elevate the show to a great length and are also quite successful at that. Vihaan Samant, an actor who in a short period created a niche for himself in the OTT space, is also in good form as the prince, waiting to take up bigger roles even as he harbours dreams of becoming a master chef. Lisa Mishra, the singer, is also a revelation as the strong, logical best friend of Sophia who has eyes for the Princess.

While the writing is questionable and the series takes forever to establish the main plot, it does come together and shows spark in the final two episodes, and ends on a cliffhanger, opening up possibilities of a second half. The scenes between Aviraaj and his siblings are well-played out and feel organic and natural.

What does not work

Unfortunately, the show’s flaws are much more glaring. It ultimately dumbs down everything and makes every character and their problem look very lame. For the longest time, you don’t quite get what Aviraaj is running away from or why Sophia gets anxious thinking of her parents. We are told she is impulsive and he is an escapist – but the reasons remain unknown. Also, their falling in love seems slightly misplaced. It is also a shame to underutilize so many of the actors. Sumukhi Suresh as the restless jumpy assistant is barely there for the laughs, Zeenat Aman is reduced to a ditzy intoxicated old royal who mutters and mumbles mostly, Chunky Panday looks and behaves like a buffoon- the humour of the series is as inconsistent as the character’s issues in life.

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Pednekar, in her debut web series, heaves and sighs through her roles, when she is anxious, she is upset or simply passing lascvicious looks towards her prince- the heaving and sighs and pouting never ends.

The Royals begins on a promising note but the problems are so first world and ditzy that they would put Sonam Kapoor’s Aisha to shame.

The seven-part series is now streaming on Netflix.