'The Royals' Cast Interview: Ishaan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar and Team On Playing Pretend with Privilege

Just before breaking for lunch — somewhere between debating their food orders and making hydration decisions — the cast of The Royals gathered in a spirited huddle, tossing around streaming recommendations (The Studio, When Life Gives You Tangerines, The Last of Us if you care to know) and musing about video games and the odd fantasies that come with playing make-believe royalty.

Premiering May 9 on Netflix, The Royals is a breezy dramedy that cuts through the platform’s usual crime-heavy fare with flair, wit, and a wildly glamorous setting. Led by Ishaan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar, Vihaan Samat, Kavya Trehan, and Lisa Mishra — with icons Zeenat Aman and Sakshi Tanwar — the show unfolds in a world of princes, privilege, and emotional messiness.

The Hollywood Reporter India caught up with most of the cast to talk about what drew them to their roles and how they found the show’s emotional and comedic rhythms.

A still from 'The Royals'

Edited excerpts:

Tell me what drew you to your character. Was there one trait in particular that really hooked you?

Ishaan Khatter: For me, it was that rare combination—getting to play someone eccentric, glamorous, entitled, dramatic, complex—and still being able to tap into his humanity as the show progresses. There were just so many elements to explore as an actor. I also loved the bingeable, entertaining quality of the show itself, and of course, the wonderful people involved, both behind and in front of the camera. It was also the quickest read for me. I was given six to eight scripts and finished them in a day and a half. I let that instinct guide me—I just took the leap. And it’s been an adventure ever since.

Bhumi Pednekar: I had a very similar experience to Ishaan when I started reading The Royals. I was genuinely surprised by how deeply I connected to the episodes. What I loved about Sofia is that she’s fierce, independent and ambitious. She’s a woman in a man’s world, and yet she does what’s right. She has so much courage and agency. These are the kinds of characters I’m always drawn to. To find one like this—in a genre I love deeply—was exciting. It was so different from anything I’ve done before.

Vihaan Samat: Same for me. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down. The world was just so attractive. You get to be princes, princesses, even "aam kumaris"—but all glamorous, all very privileged, and yet with real depth inside. My character Diggy is entitled, sensitive, disappointed, has his small wins and accepts his fate. He goes on this journey of finding something he loves, picking himself back up and connecting with people. It’s a rollercoaster and he’s allowed to be funny. Honestly, it was such a joy to read the script and think, I get to do this? I get to sit by a pool with a bottle of wine and be drunk? It’s fun! Sometimes you read a scene and think, Oh no, this one’s intense. But this was like—go be goofy. Go be silly. Then turn around and scream irrationally at your siblings.

A still from 'The Royals'

Lisa Mishra: Hard relate! What drew me in was getting to be in a world full of incredible women that really shines through on screen. My connection with Bhumi, both as a person and through our characters’ friendship, was really special. The arc I share with Kavya's character—it’s meaningful and layered. Even beyond the leads, the show gives every character a fully developed arc. That’s rare. Usually it’s easy to slot someone as the comic relief or the serious one. But here, there’s nuance. I love that there’s so much comedy in my friendship with Bhumi and we’re constantly pulling each other’s legs. Because that’s how real best friends behave. You’re not always in deep, emotional “I love you” moments. Sometimes, you’re just taking the piss out of each other—and that’s friendship, too.

Kavya Tehran: For me, it was the idea of two worlds coming together—worlds we look at from afar, or even aspire to. I haven’t read or seen stories like The Royals before. The fact that it’s coming from the country I was born in? I thought, We’re making something this spicy and delicious? I want in! It was selfish, honestly. Everything was new; the people I’d be working with, the character. What I loved about Ginny was her lightness. She makes mistakes and forgives herself instantly. She’s adventurous and moves forward.

And then, there’s the clothes, the siblings. I’ve always wanted brothers. My whole life, I chased boys with rakhis—and they ran, but I was faster! So many plus points to playing Ginny. There was no looking back.

One of the things this show does really well is balance drama with comedy—it keeps moving. Shows like Hacks have recently hit that sweet spot where the emotional gut-punches land just as hard as the laugh-out-loud moments. Is it hard for you to play those contrasting beats? When you’re doing comedy, how do you know if it’s working? Are you trying to make your co-actor laugh? The crew?

Ishaan: It’s hard to say! Usually, if you're making your co-actor laugh during the shot, it’s not good, so... we try to get it out beforehand. But honestly, you can feel it when it’s funny.

Vihaan: Technically, comedy often comes from playing the objective or problem beyond normal limits. Like, if I have a problem with this table—I can’t just say, “It’s annoying.” I have to go all in and scream at it like, Why is this table ruining my life?! Something about that distortion from reality creates humour. But tone is key. You don’t want to overdo it. You don’t need to jump on the table—

Ishaan: Unless you're Jim Carrey, he would jump on the table (laughs).

A still from 'The Royals'

Vihaan: Sometimes it depends on how your co-actor reacts. If they downplay it, it lets the audience recognise, Oh, that was weird. If they don’t react, it’s like, Oh, that’s just him.

So it’s this tightrope between surprise and discomfort—and that’s where comedy often lives.

Lisa: We were really lucky to have two incredible comedians on set—Sumukhi and Chunky Pandey. Sometimes we just got to sit back and let them do their magic. They brought so much colour to the world.

Ishaan: Yeah, and I’d argue all of us had some comedy to play—and a lot of it was situational. I’ve only dabbled in comedy in a couple of projects, but for me, the fun was always in the discovery. It’s about playing off your scene partner’s energy and seeing how many directions a moment can go. The reactions matter just as much as the setup. It’s not always the person telling the joke, it’s how the others respond. The goal wasn’t to ham it up. It was more about quick, zany reactions—those little things that can’t be choreographed. You just feel it when it clicks.

Vihaan: And often, it’s one of us going, Hey, would it be funny if I did this? And if we both laugh, but no one else does—okay, maybe cut it. But if the entire set is laughing, that’s a keeper.

Ishaan: And huge credit to our directors—Priyanka (Ghose), who did six episodes, and Nupur (Asthana), who did episodes four and seven. They had such a great handle on the tone. They knew exactly which moment needed what energy; that made our job a lot easier.