Bhumi Pednekar, Ishan Khatter's The Royals Gets A Reality Check For Presenting 'Misleading' Facts

News18

14-05-2025

Last Updated:
In a letter addressed to Netflix India, Royal Fables expressed concerns about the portrayal of royal families in the new rom-com.
Netflix's The Royals, starring Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar, may have captivated binge-watchers with its striking visuals, but not everyone is impressed. Released on May 9, the series tells the story of a sharp, modern-day CEO whose world collides with a once-glorious royal family from the fictional city of Morpur. While critics and viewers had mixed reviews, with many questioning the depth of the plot, another unexpected voice has now entered the discourse regarding the show.
Royal Fables, founded by Anshu Khanna, is a platform dedicated to showcasing the real royals of India. They recently shared a post on Instagram, criticising The Royals. In a letter addressed to Netflix India, Royal Fables expressed concerns about the portrayal of royal families in the new rom-com.
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They began the letter by saying, 'We just finished watching THE ROYALS and immediately felt the strong urge to reach out to you on behalf of the 565 Princely states of India who were portrayed fairly sweepingly in your show."
Royal Fables shared that having worked with the royal families of India for 15 years, they have achieved 'not just an insider's perspective to their world but also a deep respect for Princely India's contribution to India's culture of refinement". Royal Fables mentioned how the present-day royals continue to take forward their legacy established by the erstwhile rulers, from classical music to forts, palaces and antiques.
In their letter, Royal Fables pointed out the many 'false narratives" that the show put forward, which they think was a 'disservice to this world". Firstly, they mentioned that royal families aren't 'poor," and they do not sell their palaces or make money from 'bat poop". 'They are land owners and inheritors of a rich legacy that they are monetising," they added.
Furthermore, Royal Fables agreed that conserving hundreds of years-old palaces is a tough task, that too, without any external help. However, the current generation of royals has taken this task upon themselves and have turned into entrepreneurs 'who nurture what they have inherited and raise money through their legit businesses".
Royal Fables also pointed out that they no longer sell their paintings or cars since the abolition of the Privy Purse in 1971. Moreover, they highlighted, 'No Ravi Varma that costs hundreds of crores is ever sold," and talked about the discrepancies in the storyline when the CEO gifts a Ravi Varma painting to the Rajmata.
Contrary to what was shown on The Royals, the company argued that present-day royals are 'educated and employed citizens who fight elections, become ministers, are temple patrons, hoteliers, empower women," and whatnot. Royal Fables called out the makers for glorifying the royals as not 'needing to do anything".
Speaking about the lavish costumes of the women, they said, 'The royal women are also not sitting in their palaces, overdressed in bridal jewels and heavily embellished sarees. In real life, our ladies wear delicate diamonds designed by their ancestors in the Art Deco era." They criticised the show for showing the women sitting idle and also mentioned that royal art, homes, decor and dressing are 'SUBTLE". Towards the end of the letter, Royal Fables requested everyone to be sensitive to this subject and do their research and homework before using their legacy as stories.
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