The Royals cast: Who stars in the Netflix Indian romantic drama?

In The Royals, a care-free, party-loving Prince Aviraaj inherits the royal throne of Morpur, and his life is turned upside down when he discovers his father has left him a title, but no inheritance.

Struggling with his new responsibilities, Aviraaj meets Sophia Shekhar, a feisty CEO of a hospitality start-up who has a promising proposition for him… after she insults him and their egos clash. They strike an agreement, but their journey runs far from smooth: the series is packed with heated fights, humour and a whole host of drama and spice.

Written by Neha Veena Sharma, the series combines "old-world charm of palaces" with "Indian royalty" to appeal to modern-day fans of romance series such as Bridgerton and Emily in Paris.

Co-creators Rangita and Ishita Pritish-Nandy said about The Royals: "The series is about two people from completely different worlds, each fighting their own battles, constantly at odds, yet irresistibly drawn to each other in ways they never expected… as they clash, challenge, storm and rage against each other to prove their worth, they must also discover whether their love can survive the chaos that’s them."

The series is fronted by Pednekar and Khatter as the star-crossed lovers, Sophia and Aviraaj, but the supporting cast includes a host of well-known stars from Hindi films, such as veteran Indian actress Zeenat Aman.

Tanya Bami, series head at Netflix India, added: "With The Royals, we’ve created a modern love story that has an equally modern-day conflict… The Royals brings that sizzle and swoon to a world that’s unapologetically Indian."

Here’s everything you need to know about the cast of The Royals and where you might recognise them from.

The Royals cast

Here’s an overview of the full cast for the six-part series, as well as a more detailed overview of our two lead cast members and where you might have seen them before.

• Bhumi Pednekar plays Sophia Shekhar
• Ishaan Khatter plays Prince Aviraaj Singh
• Vihaan Samat plays Digvijay Singh
• Kavya Trehan as Divyaranijini Singh
• Sakshi Tanwar plays Padmaja
• Zeenat Aman plays Aunty Marji
• Sumukhi Suresh plays Keertana
• Udit Arora plays Kunal
• Lisa Mishra plays Niki
• Nora Fatehi plays Ayesha
• Dino Morea plays Salad
• Milind Soman plays Yuvanath Sign
• Shweta Salve plays Sameera

For more information about the characters and where you've seen the cast before, read on.

Ishaan Khatter plays Prince Aviraaj Singh

Who is Prince Aviraaj Singh? Aviraaj is the last person you’d suspect to be the next Maharaja of Morpur. He’s a ‘playboy’ party prince who has plenty of experience of running away from his responsibilities. He flits from topless photoshoots to throwing lavish parties with very little care in the world, at least to start with.

It’s only when he meets Sophia that he starts to reassess his situation and responsibilities and work towards something more substantial for his life… after a few clashes of their ego and wit, of course.

What else has Ishaan Khatter been in? Khatter is a well-known Indian actor who has appeared in Hindi-language series Beyond the Clouds and Dhadak, as well as the British miniseries A Suitable Boy.

Bhumi Pednekar plays Sophia Shekhar

Who is Sophia Shekhar? Sophia is an award-winning CEO of her own hospitality start-up, Work Potato. She’s a self-made girl boss who is focused on breaking into a whole new market by opening a Royal B&B – a hotel within an unused royal palace. She’s ambitious, feisty and disciplined, aka the complete opposite to Aviraaj, and is often challenged by her male-dominated board.

What else has Bhumi Pednekar been in? Pednekar rose to fame in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. Alongside this, she starred in other well-received films such as Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Pati Patni Aur Woh. The Royals is her debut performance in a TV series.

Vihaan Samat plays Digvijay Singh

Who is Digvijay Singh? Digvijay is Aviraaj’s younger brother, though he appears more mature, responsible and uptight than the party boy prince and would be more suited to the role of the Maharaja. He also has a strong passion for baking.

What else has Vihaan Samat been in? The actor has appeared in numerous Netflix series before, such as Eternally Confused and Eager for Love and Mismatched, as well as the Hindi-language comedy drama Call Me Bae.

Kavya Trehan as Divyaranijini Singh

Who is Divyaranijini Singh? Divyaranijini is Aviraaj’s twin sister who often goes by the nickname Jinnie. She’s care-free and more concerned with parties, outfits and what she’ll do without a hefty inheritance than much else.

What else has Kavya Trehan been in? The actress has appeared in TV series such as Hush Hush and Jugaadistan, as well as the film If Only. Alongside this, she’s also a songwriter and producer.

Sakshi Tanwar plays Padmaja

Who is Padmaja? Padmaja is the Maharani, Aviraaj’s mother. She’s recently widowed after the death of the Maharaja and struggles to adjust without the luxuries his wealth afforded them. She wants the best for her children and starts to pursue a new romantic interest.

What else has Sakshi Tanwar been in? The actress and presenter has appeared in a host of acclaimed Hindi films and series such as Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat, Mai: A Mother’s Rage and Samrat Prithviraj.

Zeenat Aman plays Aunty Marji

Who is Aunty Marji? Marji is Aviraaj’s aunty who exudes a relaxed energy, loving a smoke and even some gummy teddies. She’s a grounding presence to advise Padmaja in her times of need and supports her nieces and nephews.

What else has Zeenat Aman been in? Aman is one of the leading actresses in Indian cinema with an extensive career spanning films such as Abdullah, Alibaba Aur, 40 Chor, Insaf Ka Tarazu and Dostana.

Sumukhi Suresh plays Keertana

Who is Keertana? Keertana is Sophia’s executive assistant at Work Potato and provides some much-needed light relief during the series. She’s always on hand to support Sophia throughout all her business and personal challenges.

What else has Sumukhi Suresh been in? Suresh is a stand-up comedian and actress who often writes and performs her own sketches. She’s appeared in comedies such as Pushpavalli, Comicstaan, Go Straight Take Left and Humble Politician Nograj.

Udit Arora plays Kunal

Who is Kunal? Kunal is the co-founder of Work Potato with Sophia, and they have a close working relationship and friendship. He’s always on hand to support her in board meetings and when challenges appear on the Royal B&B launch. But Kunal holds a secret – well, not so secret – torch for Sophia, but she doesn’t feel the same way.

What else has Udit Arora been in? Arora has appeared in TV series such as Crash Course, Bombay Begums and Tanaav.

Lisa Mishra plays Niki

Who is Niki? Niki is another key member of Sophia’s team as her head of design, bringing to life Sophia’s vision for Royal B&B to become a reality in Morpur.

What else has Lisa Mishra been in? The singer-songwriter and actress has appeared in films such as Veere Di Wedding, Judgemental Hai Kya, The Sky Is Pink and Good Newwz.

Nora Fatehi plays Ayesha

Who is Ayesha? Princess Ayesha is Aviraaj’s ex-girlfriend with ambitions to become his current girlfriend and future wife. She’s to inherit her father’s hospitality company and wants to join forces with Aviraaj so she can be a Maharani while he’s off in New York partying.

What else has Nora Fatehi been in? The actress and dancer has predominately appeared in Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films and starred in titles such as Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans, Double Barrel and Kayamkulam.

Dino Morea plays Salad

Who is Salad? Called Salad by his friends, the Maharaja of Alsipur is an ambitious leader and a non-stop flirt. He shows an interest in Sophia’s vision for the Royal B&B to expand beyond Morpur and wants to form a beneficial alliance.

What else has Dino Morea been in? Since his debut in 1999, Morea has starred in a host of films such as Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi, Raaz, Holiday, Plan and Acid Factory. He also was nominated for an Indian Television Academy Award for his role in the series The Empire.

Milind Soman plays Yuvanath Singh

Who is Yuvanath Singh? Yuvanath is Aviraaj’s dad or the late Maharaja of Morpur, who dies just before the series begins. Yuvanath is seen through flashbacks when Aviraaj is navigating the grief of losing his dad and following in his footsteps as the next Maharaja.

What else has Milind Soman been in? Soman is an actor, producer and model who has appeared in India TV series and films such as A Mouthful of Sky, Emergency, Captain Vyom and Jurm.

Additional cast includes:

Shveta Salve (Hip Hip Hurray, Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi) plays Sameera - a fellow CEO of a hospitality company and Sophia’s frenemy. She’s all smiles and support, but is driven, competitive and isn’t afraid to try and poach Sophia’s team and steal her business opportunities.

All episodes of The Royals are available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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