Star Cast: Bhumi Pednekar, Ishaan Khatter, Vihaan Samat, Zeenat Aman, Sakshi Tanwar
Web Series Review: The Royals is driven by strong performances, sizzling chemistry between Bhumi Pednekar and Ishaan Khatter, and a generous dose of glamour
Director: Priyanka Ghose, Nupur Asthana
Synopsis:
THE ROYALS is the story of a spoilt prince and an ambitious entrepreneur. Sophia Kanmani Shekhar (Bhumi Pednekar) is the CEO of her company WorkPotato. She is in Sri Lanka to receive a business award. During her trip, she bumps into Aviraaj (Ishaan Khatter). Both get intimate, without knowing their identities, and later back off due to an argument. Once she’s back in Mumbai, Sophia proposes an idea – The Royal B&B – to her investor Zubin (Addinath Kothare). The idea is that guests can stay in a royal palace, that too with a royal family. Zubin doubts the idea but gives six months’ time to Sophia and her partner Kunal (Udit Arora) to launch a property into The Royal B&B. Sophia immediately gets to work and her team contacts all royal palaces. They get an immediate, positive response from the royal family of Morpur. It’s a time when Maharaj Yuvanath Singh (Milind Soman) has passed away. As per the will, he has divided his assets among his children – son Aviraaj, son Digvijay (Vihaan Samat), daughter Divaranjani (Kavya Trehan), wife Padmaja (Sakshi Tanwar) and mother Bhagyashree (Zeenat Aman). However, all the wealth has been bequeathed to someone called Maurice. None of the family members are aware of who this person is. Also, as per the will, Yuvanath has announced that the next Maharaja will be none other than Aviraaj. This hurts Digvijay as he has been taking care of the day-to-day affairs of the palace while Aviraaj is away in New York. The family is in debt and they realize that The Royal B&B is a great opportunity to get cash flow. Hence, they decide to go for it. Once again, Aviraaj and Sophia bump into each other and yet again, not just sparks but also tensions fly. What happens next forms the rest of the series.
The Royals Story Review:
Neha Veena Sharma’s story (writers: Vishnu Sinha, Iti Agarwal) is promising. Neha Veena Sharma’s screenplay (writers: Vishnu Sinha, Iti Agarwal) is captivating. The goings-on are amusing and moreover, the whole angle of the royal family, their do’s and don’ts and their eccentricities make for a great watch. However, the writing lacks conviction in some places. Harsh-Annukampa’s dialogues are sharp and add to the madness and also emotions.
Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana’s direction is decent. They have added a lot of scale and glamour to the show and hence, made it appealing for a wide section of the audience. There are a lot of fun moments. The track of the palace’s dilapidated status and how the royal family hid their poverty is quite amusing. The track of Sophia is quite touching. One feels for her as she’s battling a lot of issues at once, from personal to professional. Hence, one roots for her. The chemistry between Sophia and Aviraaj is electrifying and sensuous, and will be lapped up by the youth. A scene where the siblings speak their heart out in the stable is heartening.
On the flipside, the writing is convenient. All the wealth has gone to a mysterious person named Maurice. Yet, the royals do not even bother to find out about it and are busy enjoying life. In every episode, two things happen without fail – Ishaan goes shirtless and Sophia holds a party or an event. After a point, it becomes laughable. The way the Maharaja of Dhondi (Aly Khan) makes a U-turn is too sudden. Though the show ends on an arresting note (with the promise of a sequel), the scene of Divyaranjani meeting an adversary comes out of the blue and doesn’t make complete sense. It’s also bewildering that though she is free the whole day, she never thought of visiting the Sheet Mahal, bequeathed to her by her father. She realizes its condition much later.
The Royals Performances:
Bhumi Pednekar handles the lead role with panache. She looks stunning and performance-wise, aces the role. Her character is the most touching aspect of the show. Ishaan Khatter shows his six-pack abs gets a bit too much, but a section of the audience will not complain as he looks very dashing. He, too, delivers a fine performance. Vihaan Samat proves his worth, especially in the later episodes. Kavya Trehan and Udit Arora are decent. Sakshi Tanwar looks a bit odd in comic scenes. But in the second half of the show, she gets her act right. Zeenat Aman and Milind Soman are lovely in small roles. Lisa Mishra (Niki) delivers yet another great performance after CALL ME BAE. Sumukhi Suresh (Keertana) is passable. Chunky Panday (Ranjit Shroff), Nora Fatehi (Ayesha Dhondi) and Dino Morea (Salauddin Khan) do well and add to the star value. Others who leave a mark are Addinath Kothare, Luke Kenny (Adi Mehta), Jagdish Rajpurohit (Girdhari), Sukesh Anand (Pankaj), Shiv Gautam (Rafiq Chacha), Neena Kulkarni (Sophia’s grandmother), Anil Khopkar (Sophia’s grandfather), Ismeet Kohli (Nandini Jagtap; journalist), Shivani Tanksale (Rambha), Shveta Salve (Sameera Kashyap) and Yashaswini Dayama (Molshri Mittal).
The Royals music and other technical aspects:
As for the songs, ‘Adayein Teri’ is memorable for its picturization followed by ‘Dil Mera Gaaye’ and the recreated version of ‘Tu Tu Hai Wohi’. Aditya N and Nayantara Bhatkal’s background score goes well with the royal-ness of the show.
Neha Parti Matiyani’s cinematography is breathtaking and enhances the scale of the show. The series has been shot in some of the most beautiful palaces of Rajasthan. Aastha Sharma’s costumes are a highlight and will be talked about. Payal Ghose Kaul’s production design is very authentic. Paramjeet Singh’s action is appropriate. Antara Lahiri’s editing could have been crisper.
The Royals Review Conclusion:
On the whole, THE ROYALS is an entertaining watch, driven by strong performances, sizzling chemistry between Bhumi Pednekar and Ishaan Khatter, and a generous dose of glamour. While the writing falters at times, holding it back from reaching its full potential, the show’s ensemble cast, breezy tone, and youth-centric appeal are likely to ensure impressive viewership.
Rating: 3 stars
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