Bhumi Pednekar is out of the cast of Netflix original series The Royals ahead of its second season, as the production moves from a central romance to a sprawling family drama. Pednekar had starred opposite Ishaan Khatter in the lead role in the debut season, but the makers have apparently decided to let go of the romantic subplot after the cliffhanger ending of the first season. Sources close to the production say the split was amicable in every way and that the creative team decided to focus more on the internal dynamics and “world-building” of the royal household, which struck a more true chord with the audience. For instance, the next season will explore the character arcs of Ishaan Khatter, Sakshi Tanwar and Zeenat Aman in more detail, moving away from the “rom-com” tone it had in its first season.
This shift in story arc comes after Pednekar faced massive online backlash and trolling over her looks and performance in the first season, which she later revealed left her feeling “numb” and creatively adrift. If anything, the actress is re-aligning her career more toward intense layered projects. She is in talks for a high-stakes courtroom drama and will star opposite Imran Khan in his much-awaited Netflix return to the big screen. She’s also set to begin work on Daldal 2, a sequel to her gritty crime series that fits into the “darker space” she’s been gravitating toward lately. The producers say fans of the main duo might be disappointed, but the departure is a natural progression of the script, ensuring the second season of The Royals is still a high-stakes exploration of power and pedigree within the palace walls.
