Count me in before anybody else when it comes to romance TV shows, because I’m sat, the second there are two people struggling to figure out if they hate each other or like each other. So it would come as no surprise to you that I was more than eager to watch two of Bollywood’s current hottest stars pine for each other in a world dripping in opulence and glamour and loads of unnecessary drama. But, you know, there’s always a “but” when a review begins with expectations that have then been shattered by disappointment. Okay, to be honest, The Royals isn’t a terrible TV show, but it isn’t great either. The show follows Sophia Shekhar, the CEO of a hospitality company, who is eager to create a new experiential B&B that involves living with a royal family. She then meets the king of Morpur, Aviraaj Singh. Aviraaj’s big issue is that he’s just been coronated, though he’s been away for years after the death of his father. Will the crown be a burden to him, or will he ease into it? Sophia and Aviraaj’s connection is initially unexpected, but soon enough, as you can imagine, they realize they can help each other. But does this work out for them, or does it make things worse?
Yes, I know, as a premise, this show sounds super exciting, but there’s something very chaotic about how it’s been executed. For one, it does feel like it’s trying to be more comedy than drama, so, like when you’re trying to inch your way into a cold swimming pool and someone suddenly pushes you hard, and you’re hit with the cold water, the cold water being the drama for The Royals. I found that the comedy was actually pretty decent, and despite some of the dialogue being immensely cheesy and the entire plot being somewhat corny, the actors deliver their lines with sincerity, and it comes through. I don’t know; it never feels like the actors are attempting to sound cool. But, when it comes to the dramatic bits, I think the show is slightly incoherent in how it shifts tone between the two ideas, making it hard to feel any sort of emotional connection with the struggling characters. Or that could just be me not being royalty myself. It’s not relatable, you know?
But that’s not what we’re trying to do, going into a show that’s literally titled “The Royals.” I guess we’re always stuck with the same old narrative that the rich are actually good at heart and just don’t understand the gravity of their, well, richness. It’s an age-old story: “Yes, I’m a king, but I also have emotions and internal conflicts just as you commoners do, but I do it shirtless on my stunning horse that I can’t let go of.” The thing here is that I found the supporting characters on the show way more interesting than the 2-dimensional leads; a woman who wants to prove her worth in the workplace and a man who is struggling with daddy issues.
The show is full of all the pomp and grandeur you need for a Netflix entertainer. You have the hip-hop music, the slow-motion grinding, the (almost) nudity, the expensive palace, and, of course, some very interesting costume design. The cherry on top has to be the “will they, won’t they” narrative of the romance at the heart of it all. To be honest, I’ve always enjoyed a Hindi-language romance serial, like Miley Jab Hum Tum and Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Du, so when I’m watching a Hindi-language show online, I expect it to bear some resemblance to those gems that were a part of my formative years. But I’ve realized that over the years, with the OTT platforms, I guess the freedom of not being censored allows for terrible storytelling and scandy scenes, which we didn’t have any of earlier. While I’m not opposed to sex on screen, I can’t help but feel the focus has now become to be as sexual as possible rather than using sex to propel a cute story, if you know what I mean.
Bhumi Pednekar has always been a good actress, but I think I found her unbelievably stiff in this show, not only physically but in her delivery too. It almost feels as if she’s desperately holding her breath through the show. But, it’s in the bits where she’s crying that I found her most endearing and most relaxed as well. I especially didn’t enjoy the dance sequence because Ishaan is such a smooth dancer, while the fluidity in her moves is entirely missing. Which is quite sad, because they make a decent pairing. Ishaan is charming as ever, but I think there isn’t much for him to do in this show except be himself. And in all honesty, there isn’t really any chemistry here. It almost feels lacking in effort at some point. However, the real stars of this show are Kavya Trehan and Vihaan Samat, Aviraaj’s younger siblings, the twins. They’ve got more interesting characterizations and motivations, and they just bring a very charming, natural tone to the whole thing. There’s a romance for Kavya’s character, Jinnie, which was very nice, and I wish there had been more of it, and Vihaan gets to be the “passion” man of the series, which he does very well. I also wish there was more sibling love, because when we get a little bit of it, it’s really fantastic.
When Nadaaniyan came out, there was discourse about how it attempts to expand its audience by bringing in old actors as supporting characters for the sake of nostalgia. The Royals does the same thing with a long list of veterans, including the legend herself, Zeenat Aman, Chunkey Pandy, Sakshi Tanwar (flag bearer), Dino Morea (guess he had fun doing that one), and Milind Soman. I know, it’s too long a list, and they’re mere background characters, but it’s something.
The Royals uses all the global influence it can get. How some characters are styled, the plotlines, and even the hip-hop music feel reminiscent of shows like Young Royals and other opulent teen romances. But the difference here is that the stakes don’t feel as powerful, and somehow everything feels a little bit like Indian food without the masala. At the end of the day, The Royals is attempting to create something fresh, but it feels almost derivative, which is its biggest problem. I’d give The Royals 2.5 out of 5 stars for its attempt, and I’m hoping, if there’s a second season, it will cover up where it’s lacking.
