Ishaan Khatter-Bhumi Pednekar’s The Royals returns for Season 2, but fans say no thanks; here’s everything to know

Unless you’ve been blissfully off the grid, you’ve probably heard of The Royals, one of the more buzzworthy OTT releases in recent months. With Ishaan Khatter doing his best six-pack diplomacy as the Maharaja of Morpur, the show certainly made a splash. And now, like a royal decree no one really asked for, Netflix has officially announced Season 2 — and the reaction online is… not exactly celebratory.

“Old money, new blood” — but same old complaints?

The official Netflix India Instagram dropped the announcement with the caption: “Old money, new blood and a new season is in the works 👑🐎 The Royals Season 2 is coming soon, only on Netflix.” While the OTT giant might have hoped for a round of applause, what they got instead was a digital eye-roll. Within minutes, the comment section filled up with reactions that ranged from sceptical to outright savage. “Genuinely why??” one user asked, echoing what appeared to be the sentiment of many. “Hopefully, some acting will also be there this time!!” snarked another. “Top 1 thing no one asked for today,” chimed in a third. “Oh lord! The makers didn’t get enough of torturing us with Season 1 that they’re making a second?” read a particularly harsh comment.

And then came the Bhumi Pednekar backlash — a trend that, unfortunately for the actor, has lingered since the premiere of Season 1. While Bhumi is known for her past work in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) and Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), her performance in The Royals was widely panned as unimpressive. “No Bhumi please…” wrote one disappointed viewer. “Replace Bhumi 🙏🏻,” was another comment.

The plot so far

Set in the fictional princely city of Morpur in Rajasthan, The Royals follows Prince Aviraaj Singh (Ishaan), a reluctant heir who inherits a crumbling royal estate and crosses paths with Sophia Kanmani Shekhar (Bhumi), an ambitious entrepreneur trying to build a five-star boutique hotel called the Royal B&B.

The show boasted a star-studded cast with Vihaan Samat as the conniving younger brother Digvijay, Zeenat Aman as the glamorous royal grandmother, Sakshi Tanwar as the iron-willed Rani Padmaja, and glitzy cameos from Milind Soman, Nora Fatehi, and Dino Morea. Directed by Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana, the series was produced by Pritish Nandy Communications and created by Rangita and Ishita Pritish Nandy.

Despite the backlash, The Royals did manage to garner a substantial following, perhaps precisely because of the “so-bad-it’s-good” entertainment value. Now, whether Season 2 will redeem itself or double down on its over-the-top melodrama remains to be seen.