‘The Royals’ review: A ‘royal’ disappointment

Series: The Royals

Directors: Priyanka Ghose, Nupur Asthana

Star cast: Bhumi Pednekar, Ishaan Khatter, Zeenat Aman, Sakshi Tanwar, Vihaan Samat

Rating: 1.5 stars out of 5

As someone who enjoys royal dramas, I walked into ‘The Royals’ on ‘Netflix’ with a sliver of hope even though the trailer didn’t exactly wow me. What did pull me in was the casting - Zeenat Aman as the OG royalty, the ever-reliable Sakshi Tanwar, the brilliant Bhumi Pednekar and the charming Ishaan Khatter. Visually, ‘The Royals’ is grand and glamorous. But unfortunately, the script doesn’t quite measure up.

Let’s face it. The royal stories often follow a familiar path… There’s love, power play, secrets, scandals, illegitimate heirs and dysfunctional families and honestly, I’m all in for it. But what truly drives these shows is the drama and the emotional chaos. In ‘The Royals’, it is the writing which doesn’t do justice to the plots or drama. Not even the stunning visuals or lavish costumes can rescue the half-baked writing.

The plot revolves around Aviraaj Singh (Ishaan Khatter), the dashing soon-to-be Maharaja of Morpur, who seems more interested in women than in the ‘purani haveli’. On the surface, they’re all opulent but scratch a little and it’s all smoke and mirrors. Enter Bhumi Pednekar as Sophia Shekhar, CEO of a startup called ‘Work Potato’ (yes, that’s actually the name). She is the only one who can save the royals from sinking further into their financial mess. Of course, she’s an ‘aam kumari’ so there’s an initial ego clash with the royal heir but predictably, it turns into a passionate romance.

Their pairing should have worked. They’ve got the looks, plenty of steamy moments and enough friction to spark fire. And yes, Ishaan has no qualms about going shirtless every few minutes. But somehow, like his character’s nickname ‘Fizzy’, their spark fizzles out too soon. You never really fall for them as a couple. That said, both Bhumi and Ishaan give it their all and try hard to make the ride work.

Sakshi Tanwar, as the widowed Rani-sa, delivers a rock-solid performance. Her character has depth - secrets, flings and quiet strength. In less capable hands, the role could’ve gone completely off-track, but Sakshi keeps it grounded. And then there’s Zeenat Aman. She owns every frame she’s in (sadly, it’s a guest appearance). Her line, “Hum kuch karte nahi, hum bas hain,” perfectly captures her screen presence. She is royalty and she lifts every scene she graces.

Writer Neha Veena Sharma throws everything at the wall be it romance, drama, comedy, queerness and the farce of royal pride when there’s not even enough money for a business-class ticket. All good ingredients, but they don’t quite blend. The writing lacks consistency, so while the plot points are juicy, they don’t come together to make us care deeply about Morpur’s dysfunctional royal family.

But it’s the performances that work. Ishaan, Bhumi, Sakshi, Vihaan Samat as Diggy, Kavya Tehra as Jinnie and of course, Zeenat Aman - each brings something to the table and keeps you watching through all eight episodes. But the same can’t be said for the rest. Chunky Pandey is miscast and both Dino Morea and Sumukhi Suresh are OTT. Sumukhi is so much better in her standups. ‘The Royals’ wraps up with a cliffhanger. Let’s just hope the next chapter is a feast, not a royal disappointment.