The Royals Season 2 begins filming: Ishaan Khatter returns to Morpur, Bhumi Pednekar won't
Netflix has started production on The Royals Season 2 with Ishaan Khatter, Zeenat Aman and Sakshi Tanwar returning. Bhumi Pednekar is not part of the new season.
Morpur's palace gates are open again. On 3 November, Netflix announced that The Royals Season 2 has gone into production, with Ishaan Khatter back as Aviraaj Singh, the charming, chaos-prone prince of Morpur. Joining him are Zeenat Aman, Sakshi Tanwar, Vihaan Samat and Kavya Trehan, all reprising their roles. The one big name missing from the roll call: Bhumi Pednekar, who played entrepreneur Sophia Kanmani Shekhar in the first season, will not be part of Season 2.
The new season is directed by Nitya Mehra and Tanuj Chopra, and the show is once again created by Rangita Pritish Nandy and Ishita Pritish Nandy. Netflix has not yet shared a premiere date or named any new cast members, but it has promised that the story "will continue on a grander scale, with more kingdoms entering the fold."
Why Season 2 was a given
The Royals premiered on Netflix in May 2025 and turned into a genuine global export. According to Netflix, the first season made the streamer's Global Top 10 Non-English TV Shows list in 58 countries, and Netflix calls it the first Indian series to reach that many. Not bad for a rom-com about a broke royal family trying to keep its palace.
The premise was simple and very binge-friendly. Aviraaj, the prince of Morpur, is stuck with a crumbling palace and a family that runs on pride, gossip and old grudges. Sophia, a no-nonsense businesswoman, arrives with a plan to turn the ancestral home into a luxury bed-and-breakfast. Royal ego meets spreadsheet logic, sparks fly, and the family rivalries do the rest. It is the kind of set-up that lets every family member steal a scene, and most of them did.
What the makers are promising
Tanya Bami, Series Head at Netflix India, summed up the show's appeal neatly: "The Royals combines two very dynamic themes: the exotic and glamour appeal of Indian royalty and forbidden romance!" She added that Season 2 "will go deeper into Morpur while also widening the canvas."
The creators sound just as eager. "We're excited to return to this world of larger-than-life characters," Rangita and Ishita Pritish Nandy said in a joint statement, and they have described Morpur as a place that found fans "far beyond its palace walls." Netflix says the new season will bring in new characters, alliances, rivalries and romances, so expect the royal family tree to grow a few new branches.
How to catch up before Season 2
- Where to watch: Season 1 of The Royals streams on Netflix in India.
- Release date for Season 2: not announced yet, which leaves plenty of time for a rewatch.
- Who to watch out for: Zeenat Aman and Sakshi Tanwar, whose royal matriarchs give the palace drama its real backbone.
For Ishaan Khatter, the timing is sweet. He has had a busy stretch since Season 1, including walking the Cannes red carpet in 2025 for the festival premiere of Homebound, and The Royals remains the show that made him a streaming leading man for audiences around the world.
The FHM take
Season 1 was glossy, silly and impossible to switch off, and that is exactly why it travelled. Losing Bhumi Pednekar's Sophia means the show needs a new spark opposite Ishaan, and how Netflix fills that gap will decide whether Season 2 is a coronation or a quiet abdication. With Zeenat Aman still holding court, we would bet on the crown.
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