We live in a world where royalty is old news, and our primary interaction with it is watching The Crown over dinner. However, in the vast lands of India, Netflix brings us a new series depicting the modern-day royals of a fictional Indian city, Morpur. Directed by Priyanka Ghose, the show is based on a start-up company’s CEO wanting to turn a historic palace into a Royal B&B, and the shifting power dynamics between the royals and the commoners in an ever-changing nation.
Ishaan Khatter as Aviraaj Singh
After featuring in The Perfect Couple, opposite Nicole Kidman, Khatter has been on a roll lately. The gifted actor returns to the screen as Maharaja Aviraaj Singh of Morpur in the show. An international model by trade, Aviraaj is forced to return to look after the royal estate after his father passes away. Even though his brother is best suited for the job, Aviraaj’s interest in Sophia drives his wish to stay back at the palace. He and Sophia have a hot and cold dynamic from the beginning of the show, and Khatter’s natural charm makes it believable for us to see him as a prince.
Bhoomi Pednekar as Sophia Kanmini
Starting her career by portraying small-town, strong-willed women, Pednekar has slowly climbed the hierarchy of Bollywood to become one of the biggest leading ladies currently. She plays Sophia Kanmini, the CEO of a company called WorkPotato. Sophia is an ambitious woman who trusts her instincts, and that rubs the people around her the wrong way. Her life takes a massive turn after she meets the King of Morpur, Aviraaj.
Zeenat Aman as Maa Ji
Once the heartthrob of the nation, veteran actress Zeenat Aman portrays Maa Ji, the aunt of the royal family of Morpur. Maa Ji seems largely inspired by Jennifer Coolidge’s Sophie from the sitcom 2 Broke Girls, with a touch of the Indian sense of humor. She smokes up when things go wrong, appreciates marijuana-infused gummy bears, and even grows the plant in her royal corridor. An absolute delight to watch on screen, Zeenat Aman is one of the most refreshing elements about the show.Â
Sakshi Tanwar as Padmaja
Bade Acche Lagte Hain sensation Sakshi Tanwar is back in mainstream Bollywood for the first time in a long time, and after portraying some of the most iconic characters in Hindi daily serials, she slays as the Queen of Morpur, Padmaja. From keeping her sons in check to having enough self-love to pursue new relationships, Padmaja is a strong-willed queen with very queen-like whims. Throughout the series, she features in the most emotionally layered scenes, and I couldn’t praise her enough for her performance.
Dino Morea as Salauddin
Although playing a small role compared to the main cast, Dino Morea shines as the flamboyant, party freak Nawab of Alsipur in the show. Initially introduced as a spoiled king, we get to see the real person behind the nawab when he and Sophia are alone in a room. Salauddin really understands how the modern-day royals live a life of lies, believing the world still revolves around them, and how they’d wear an outfit spun from gold just to hide the torn cloth underneath.
Vihaan Samat as Digvijay Singh
A prince who’s stuck between fulfilling his responsibilities towards his family and following his passion, Vihaan Samat plays the light-hearted Digvijay to perfection. He’s silly, he’s emotional, and he can act, as we’ve seen before in Eternally Confused and Eager for Love and CTRL. Samat’s ability to mold himself according to the role is second to none, and it’s time we appreciate actors like him.
Milind Soman as Maharaja Yuvanath Singh
As soon as The Royals intro hits, we see a big portrait of Milind Soman as a king, and it just feels right. If the show got one thing right, it’s the casting of the supporting characters. Soman, as Yuvanath plays the role of a modern king to perfection, starting from his accent to the polo t-shirts, every scene he appears in, and it’s not many, he steals the show.
Nora Fatehi as Ayesha Dhondi
Hands down, the best entry scene for an antagonistic character we’re supposed to dislike is Nora Fatehi playing Ayesha Dhondi, a literal princess. If we’re to go past our preconceived image of the actress, she actually plays her role to perfection as the power-hungry princess using people as mere pawns in her game.
Other Characters in the Series
The veteran comedian and actor, Sumukhi Suresh, plays Keertana, Sophie’s chatterbox assistant who is oddly good at her job. Luke Kenny is Maurice, the secret lover of the late King Yuvanath. Along with them, singer-songwriter Lisa Mishra portrays Niki, who gets involved with Princess Divya, played by the wonderful Kavya Trehan. Chunky Pandey makes a special appearance as a Bollywood superstar, Ranjit Shroff. He tries to woo Padmaja throughout the series, and quite oddly, he pulls it off.
