"It’s just that there’s no damsel-in-distress. It’s refreshing.”
Bhumi Pednekar has described her debut web series, The Royals, as a fresh take on modern romance, with shades of Bridgerton and Schitt’s Creek.
The Netflix rom-com, created by Rangita and Ishita Pritish Nandy, follows the chaotic lives of a royal family adapting to the demands of the modern world.
Bhumi stars as Sophia Shekhar, a self-made CEO who joins forces with Aviraaj Singh, a reluctant prince played by Ishaan Khatter, to convert his crumbling haveli into a luxury bed-and-breakfast.
The actress explained: “It is (like) a modern-day Bridgerton because of the setting and the world that’s been created, but definitely a bit of Schitt’s Creek because there’s the royal family and the dysfunctionality and everything that happens with them.
“But I grew up reading Mills & Boon, and I’m a very, very big fan of it. This (The Royals) is a very classic boy-girl romance. It’s just that there’s no damsel-in-distress. It’s refreshing.”
Directed by Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana, the series explores themes of privilege, power, and the chaotic intersection of old money with modern tech.
The storyline also taps into the entourage culture and the influence of artificial intelligence.
On AI, Bhumi Pednekar said the technology must be used with caution:
“You can’t use it (AI) for things like, ‘Create an itinerary for me because I’m going on a holiday’.
“It’s a powerful tool… It depends on how you’re using it… When it comes to the creative field, I don’t know what the future is going to be like because it’s evolving so fast.
“I don’t think it can bring the kind of human nuance and touch that somebody writing a script can, but I don’t think we are far from that.
“What’s also lacking is that we don’t have laws protecting us.
“There are so many loopholes; you see deep fakes.
“Today, on Instagram, there are so many times that a lot of AI-generated content looks so real.”
The Royals also includes Sakshi Tanwar, Nora Fatehi, Dino Morea, Milind Soman, Chunky Panday, Vihaan Samat, Kavya Trehan, Sumukhi Suresh, Udit Arora, Lisa Mishra and Luke Kenny.
Lisa Mishra, who plays Sophia’s colleague Nikki, said she actively pursued the role:
“I’ve been lucky that I got launched on an incredible show by an incredible production house, Call Me Bae. I’m humbled by the fact that I’ve had two incredible opportunities back-to-back.
“I want to keep pushing the boundary on what a modern Indian woman is.
“I represent that, both as an NRI and somebody who has been living in India for seven years. These are the roles that are suited best for me.”
The Royals is set to premiere on Netflix on May 9, 2025.
Watch The Royals Trailer
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