A Royal Disaster?: Netflix’s “The Royals” Proves To Be Glamorous Yet Lacklustre

(by Apurv Nayak)

Grandeur, luxury, regal- such words come to the mind when one gets to know that a web-series titled “The Royals” is one of the latest OTT releases, that too, on Netflix. The trailer promised a royal treat to the viewers, as the story is set around the Morpur royal family. Royalty clashes with modernity as financial struggles and debts force the people of the palace to take the help of an entrepreneur in order to preserve their heritage, and more importantly, themselves.

However, the series is more than what it promises. Ishaan Khatter plays the charming soon-to-be Maharaja of Morpur, Aviraaj Singh, whereas starring opposite is Bhumi Pednekar as Sofia Shekhar, an impulsive yet deserving entrepreneur. The conflict begins here itself- though the leads give a brilliant performance, together they seem to lack the ‘chemistry’ factor. Bhumi appears way more mature to be paired with Ishaan, a thing which becomes very much evident in a few scenes.

Next in the ensemble are Vihaan Samat, Sakshi Tanwar, Zeenat Aman, Nora Fatehi, and Milind Soman. All of them play characters who are a part of a royal family. Vihaan appears admirable in his role of Digvijay Singh; his character is well-written. Sakshi suits as Rani-sa, with her distinct and sophisticated way of speaking, throughout the season.

Zeenat Aman looks as flawless as she was at her time, but her character seems to be undermined as the show progresses. Her fans will enjoy her presence though. Her name ironically comes under the title of Special Appearance, which should have been in the case of Milind Soman, as there is very little active presence of his character in the series. Nora’s character had a deficit of purpose, except for being the ‘ex’ of Aviraaj.

Despite a line-up of exceptional characters, the plot struggles to move ahead. The episodes are overall sluggish in pace, lacking thrill or ‘out of the way’ elements in most of the cases. Due to this lack of emotional or dramatic engagement, there remains little motivation to start with the next episode as one ends.

Royal families are tied with secrets and hidden truths. This becomes a recurring theme in the series, especially with the introduction of ‘Maurice’. However, the Maurice arc almost disappears midway, returning only when the series starts moving towards the end.

The series can be praised for the visual delights it offers, particularly the Motibagh palace and its interiors, such as the dining hall. Amid the lush palace surroundings and pinterest-friendly depictions of royalty (with a ballroom scene conveniently reminding one of “Bridgerton”), the connect that gets generated due to authenticity and regalness that is usually associated with royal dramas, is absent here. 

Ishaan suits to his character, bringing charm to it. However, his tendency to go shirtless on the slightest provocation (be it howsoever baseless) was certainly not needed. On the other hand, Bhumi’s character’s struggles with her company, which at one point seem to be endless, are not much appealing. The constant changes that she makes in her venture of ‘The Royal B&B’ become confusing, and sometimes, hard to digest. Sumukhi Suresh’s character (Keerthana) was a filler one, that too, in vain. Her comic elements felt unnecessary throughout. Other supporting characters are performed appropriately by their respective actors. Aviraaj and Sophia’s relationship juggles throughout the series, making it difficult to interpret what they feel for each other- flirting at one moment to fighting at the very next.

The cliffhanger at the end is surely impressive, so is the banter that takes place between the Singh siblings, that has some good humor, as compared to the series in general. The series would have been binge-watch worthy, if the above-mentioned elements were present in all the episodes. The subplots of the two royal siblings, apart from Aviraaj, deserve more.

All in all, “The Royals” definitely sets an aesthetic and luxurious backdrop, but only visually. Albeit, the series can be enjoyed by fans of the respective actors.