The mood in the country was sombre over the weekend due to the India-Pakistan conflict. At this point, The Royals dropped on Netflix and it made for a nice, breezy watch for several netizens in these tough times. Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to talented actor-singer with an infectious laugh, Lisa Mishra, about her experience of playing Niki in the show and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: Lisa Mishra reveals Ishaan Khatter filmed the polo scene in The Royals in peak Rajasthan heat: “He shot SHIRTLESS for hours”; explains that intimate scenes were UNPRACTICED: “It was a cakewalk as…”
How was the weekend? Did you check reviews and feedback for The Royals?
Yes, I spent the weekend reading reviews! I wanted to know what people thought, not just about my performance, but the entire series. I wanted to get an idea of how we did and where we could do better. It wasn’t an anxious weekend with regard to The Royals, but it was more to do with what was going on in the country. I am very lucky that our show took the number 1 slot in one day in India, no 8 in the USA and no 3 in Brazil. Thanks, Brazil, whoever is watching the show over there (laughs)!
There’s this whole trend of resortwear fashion. Shows like The White Lotus became known for that aspect and The Royals have also been included in that category. Do you think this reason also added to the show’s viewership?
I didn’t notice that aspect until after the release of the show. For me, it was expected that in a world full of royals, they would dress in a certain way. But the feedback about the fashion has been pretty incredible. I think everyone enjoyed how grand the sets were and how everyone looked. It’s nice to have a series which is glitz and glam. I think for years we have seen shows which are gritty and deal with crime and politics. After a long time, viewers can enjoy a great romcom that is lavishly mounted.
Speaking of lavishness, this show has been shot in real locations and real palaces of Rajasthan…
I have to tell you this story. Two years before I shot The Royals, I was in Jaipur with my father, who was visiting from the USA. I expressed the desire to show him the City Palace’s non-public areas. I went to the office of the Palace and told them that I was looking for locations for a music video. I was very lucky as they agreed to my request. Then, two years later, to actually be there, shooting the show and having complete access to the ground while the family was still living in the palace was pretty incredible. It was funny as it mirrored exactly what was going on in the series! In the series, the whole point is that you are supposed to live in the palace along with the royals. Hence, we were also shooting while they were there and it led to a lot of insane interactions! It was amazing to be a part of that world, which, two years before that, I had a difficult time accessing (smiles).
It won’t be surprising if someone actually starts an entity called The Royal B&B in real life…
I agree. We have given a great business idea (laughs)!
Out of many entertaining scenes in the show, one that stood out was a shirtless Ishaan Khatter playing polo. Tell us about your experience of witnessing it…
Oh my God, hats off to Ishaan. That guy learned how to look and play like a polo player in just two months, when people train their whole lives for it. To have that much physical ability and athleticism is impossible for most people. Full credit to Ishaan for convincingly being a polo player on screen. He was actually riding the horse and galloping throughout the set. Also, it was peak Rajasthan ‘Loo’. So, the temperature was in the range of 35 and 38 degrees and it used to go up to a scorching 40 degrees. He was shooting shirtless for hours that day. It was incredible seeing that up close. I had to learn how to ride a horse too because of my one scene where I go on a ride with Jinnie (Kavya Trehan).
In the same scene, we see Chunky Panday in the polo player getup and at the trailer launch, he mentioned learning how to play the sport in two days. But the scene isn’t there in the show. Was it deleted?
Maybe, I don’t know. He is in that scene, but I have to watch that episode. It’s been a blur for me in terms of what was shot and what made it on screen!
Which month was it when the polo scene was shot?
We shot the polo scenes in March last year. Interestingly, the scene where there’s a raid on the palace was shot at 6 degrees in the night. We were freezing at night due to the cold and then dying because of heat in the morning (laughs)! That’s typical Rajasthan weather.
We see the mention of an intimacy coordinator in the end credits. You had a few such scenes with Kavya Trehan. Was it a comfortable experience for you?
It was amazing. Our intimacy coordinator, Aastha Khanna, was excellent in her job. You don’t do the physical portions of the scene as practice. You have to do it only when you are on set and the camera is all set to roll. That’s the whole point – to make sure everybody is feeling safe and comfortable. She did a great job with Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar as well, who had even more vulnerable scenes than we do. It was a cakewalk as we had great people teaching us everything along the way.
Also Read: Bhumi Pednekar shares playful BTS moments with fans from The Royals’ set: “CEO Work Potato”
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