The Royals director breaks his silence on Ishaan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar's ‘absent’ chemistry: ' They are both...'

After its release on Netflix, The Royals grabbed a lot of attention. While a few viewers praised it, many were left disappointed, especially with the pairing of Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar, saying their on-screen chemistry felt flat.

In a recent chat with India Today, director Priyanka Ghose shared her thoughts on the feedback she received about the lead actors and also spoke about her views on the rest of the cast. She stated, "With Bhumi’s casting by Netflix, I was actually very open to the idea of trying this new pairing. They are both such powerful actors, and I was excited to see them embody glamorous roles, which goes against both of their works so far. If it didn’t work for some people, I will try better next time. But there are also people who enjoyed the show and their chemistry. It’s crazy how polarised the feedback has been."

Many viewers wished to see more of Bollywood legend Zeenat Aman in the show, but director Priyanka Ghose explained that her role was always intended to be just a special appearance. She said, "It was never meant to be a full track. Whenever we have legendary superstars making cameo appearances, we crave more, and the same happened with Zeenat ma’am. As much as I would have loved, the script had only those many scenes."

The Royals, directed by Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana, is a romantic comedy about a royal family facing financial troubles in today’s India. The show features Ishaan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar, Nora Fatehi, Zeenat Aman, Vihaan Samat, and Sakshi Tanwar in key roles. It premiered on Netflix on May 9.