Netflix India’s romantic comedy The Royals has started production on its second season, with cameras rolling from September 18 in Rajasthan. The shoot is scheduled to continue through December, and Netflix is targeting a premiere in the second half of 2027.
The show follows a financially struggling royal family in modern India whose heir teams up with a hospitality entrepreneur to revive an ancestral palace as a luxury resort. The follow-up arrives more than 15 months after the series debuted on May 9, 2025. Season one was renewed within three weeks and became the first Indian series to trend in Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English TV Shows across 58 countries, according to What’s on Netflix.
What changes on screen
Ishaan Khatter returns as Maharaj Aviraaj ‘Fizzy’ Singh, the reluctant polo-playing heir to the fictional kingdom of Morpur. Nora Fatehi also returns as Ayesha Dhondi and has already joined the shoot. The returning cast includes Sakshi Tanwar, Zeenat Aman, Vihaan Samrat, Dino Morea, Milind Soman, Kavya Trehan, Lisa Mishra, Chunky Panday and Neena Kulkarni.
The most visible change is the female lead. Bhumi Pednekar has exited after a creative overhaul that shifts the series away from its central romance and toward the royal family’s internal dynamics. Sini Shetty, Miss India World 2022, joins as a new character paired romantically opposite Khatter; she is not playing Pednekar’s role of Sophia. Gurfateh Pirzada also joins in a pivotal role, adding to Netflix credits that include Guilty, Class and Lust Stories 3.
Shetty is in the early stage of her acting career. She is set for her Bollywood debut with a Dharma Productions horror film directed by Ashish R. Shukla, and was previously attached to the shelved Dostana 2. Pirzada will also appear in Danish Aslam’s Netflix rom-com Adhure Hum Adhure Tum, which marks Imran Khan’s screen return.
New creative leadership
The second season also brings a director change. Nupur Asthana and Priyanka Ghose, who directed season one, are not returning. Jasmeet K. Reen, known for directing Netflix’s Darlings, takes over. Neha Veena Sharma has written the new season, with dialogues by Raghav Dutt, whose credits include Farzi and Ram Singh Charlie.
- Production window: September 18–December 2026, Rajasthan.
- Premiere target: Second half of 2027.
- Returning lead: Ishaan Khatter as Fizzy Singh.
- New female lead: Sini Shetty, playing a new character.
- Season one benchmark: Global Top 10 Non-English TV reach in 58 countries.
Why the reset matters
The Royals is a useful case for Netflix India because the first season generated international sampling despite being a Hindi romantic comedy. A casting change and a genre-leaning pivot to family drama make retention the main story for season two; the title recognition may bring viewers back, but the show is deliberately selling a different narrative shape.
Creators and executive producers Rangita Pritish Nandy and Ishita Pritish Nandy have promised a season that is “bigger, bolder, and even more fabulous.” For media planners and entertainment marketers, the late-2027 premiere also means that early production coverage and cast announcements will have to carry the title through a long window before release.
Source: What’s on Netflix
