The Royals X Review: Bhumi Pednekar-Ishaan Khattar Latest Rom-Com Leaves Fan Unimpressed, Calls It A 'Royal Mess'

Disappointing reaction for Bhumi Pednekar and Ishaan Khattar's latest rom-com 'The Royals', fans calls it a 'Royal Mess'

(Image: X)

New Delhi: Following the story of charming Prince Aviraaj (Ishaan Khattar) meets Sophia (Bhumi Pednekar), a self-made girl boss, the worlds of royalty and startups collide in a whirlwind of romance and ambition, premiered on the OTT, Netflix, this Friday.

As the show marked its debut, fans and critics binge-watched this light-hearted rom-com, labelling it as a 'royal mess'.

One netizen expressed frustration, saying, "I could not get thru even the 1st episode of #TheRoyals ..bhumi pednekar looks odd..lead has no chemistry..the premise is lame..everybody looks bored..sorry but can't watch further. Time is precious."

I could not get thru even the 1st episode of #TheRoyals ..bhumi pednekar looks odd..lead has no chemistry..the premise is lame..everybody looks bored..sorry but can't watch further. Time is precious.

— Chetana Gautam (@chetana_cg) May 12, 2025

Another viewer expressed, "#TheRoyals : Had a lot of expectations but the ending and writing ruined it all , watched only bcs of the royal aesthetics bcs the show has nothing to give tbh .. chemistry worked but at what cost??"

#TheRoyals : Had a lot of expectations but the ending and writing ruined it all , watched only bcs of the royal aesthetics bcs the show has nothing to give tbh .. chemistry worked but at what cost ?? pic.twitter.com/XwLZAwoftL

— rishii (@r4ynat) May 9, 2025

Another fan described it as a "royal mess" and "royal cringe," writing, "The Royals on Netflix is a royal mess. It's seriously cringeworthy. I watched it out of hate so you don't have to waste your time on it. Ishaan deserves better—he can act, dance, and he looks gorgeous! Netflix really needs to reevaluate their content because every recent release has been disappointing."

The Royals on Netflix is a royal mess. Royal cringe
Hate watched it so you don't waste your time
Ishaan deserves better. The man can act, dance, looks gorgeous!
While Netflix needs to reevaluate themselves because every release in the recent past has been crap. pic.twitter.com/RrR6aqrZ9L

— ThatsWhatSheSaid (@zeishahamlani) May 10, 2025

Rating this series a 1, another said, "The Royals is a colossal disappointment. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t bother. It's plagued by expressionless performances, shoddy writing,  painfully subpar acting. Talents like Sakshi Tanwar- Zeenat Aman were wasted. Bhumi Pednekar & Ishaan Khatter were a mess. 1/5."

The Royals is a colossal disappointment. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t bother. It's plagued by expressionless performances, shoddy writing, painfully subpar acting. Talents like Sakshi Tanwar- Zeenat Aman were wasted. Bhumi Pednekar & Ishaan Khatter were a mess. 1/5. pic.twitter.com/OoeFVnJxE1

— Iraa Paul (@paul_iraa) May 11, 2025

One fan described the Zeenat Aman starrer as a "decent watch." They said, "Binged watched #theRoyals last night and it's a decent watch..the script is predictable but entertaining. Ishan is Hot Af and a really good actor we need to see him in more movies. Sakshi is fantastic as usual. The chemistry between bhumi and ishan is sizzling. But she can't act."

Binged watched #theRoyals last night and it's a decent watch..the script is predictable but entertaining. Ishan is Hot Af and a really good actor we need to see him in more movies. Sakshi is fantastic as usual. The chemistry between bhumi and ishan is sizzling. But she can't act. pic.twitter.com/rBGGoj6bW9

— this is Megh (@megzmedias) May 11, 2025

The Royals features Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead roles, supported by a stellar cast that includes Zeenat Aman, Nora Fatehi, Sakshi Tanwar, Vihaan Samat, Dino Morea, Milind Soman, Lisa Mishra, and Chunky Panday.