A lavish spectacle with no depth

NETFLIX’S The Royals is what happens when Bridgerton vacations in Rajasthan, and raids a rom com warehouse for every cheesy trope imaginable.

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This eight-episode Indian series has palaces, privilege and plotlines so melodramatic, they could make a soap opera blush.

The Royals, directed by Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana, is a juicy mix of royal scandal and tepid romance in haute couture. What it ends up delivering is a beautifully dressed identity crisis, fumbling through clichés in saris.

At its heart is Prince Aviraaj Singh (Ishaan Khatter), heir to the fictional kingdom of Morpur.

Aviraaj is a charming and reluctant heir, who has a talent for polo and an allergy to shirts, with abs that see more screen time than his character arc.

Enter Sophia Kanmani Shekhar (Bhumi Pednekar), a go-getting CEO with a vision to turn the family’s crumbling ancestral palace into a luxury bed and breakfast. Cue culture clashes, business pitches, emotional baggage and flirtations that smoulder — mostly on paper. They set the stage for a classic enemies-to-lovers romance, or at least, that’s the intention.