Next week we have Netflix India’s ‘The Royals’ and Prime Video’s ‘Gram Chikitsalay’ making their debut on the respective platforms. And from the very first look, you cannot help but notice the stark difference between the two.
Netflix India’s ‘The Royals’ is a romantic comedy series that dives into the glitzy clash between a polo playing, pleasure seeking, party prince, heir to the royal throne of Morpur (Ishaan Khattar), and a high functioning, tightly wound, ace CEO (Bhumi Pednekar). The show is set in a contemporary fairy-tale world relying on opulent visuals and sharp banters.
The polished production quality and universal themes like love and ambition make ‘The Royals’ a perfect binge material for urban viewers looking for that gossip and glamour. But we also cannot ignore that this Netflix India show is pretty far from reality and its predicable tropes and elite focus might not find connection amongst the larger masses.
On the other hand, Prime Video’s ‘Gram Chikitsalay’ promises a heartwarming comedy drama set in hinterland India. A TVF creation, the show follows a young city doctor trying to settle in a small town health center. ‘Gram Chikitsalay’s blend of social commentary with humour alongside relatable characters and authentic rural portrayal comes as a refreshing counterpoint to urban-centric narratives.
But at the same time ‘Gram Chikitsalay’ looks not much different from TVF’s other show ‘Panchayat’ and seems to follow a similar theme just in a different set up. Moreover, not only has Prime Video got ‘Panchayat’ remade in Tamil and Telugu, it also offers ‘Dupahiya’ in the same genre and thereby might kill it by overdoing it.
Both Netflix India’s ‘The Royals’ and Prime Video’s ‘Gram Chikitsalay’ have their strengths and weaknesses. While the former has the star power, glam and is visually much grand, the latter gets the point for being soulful and having that emotional connect and cultural authenticity. Contrastingly, ‘The Royals’ has that unsaid quality where it can go down unnoticed despite all the gloss and sheen but then not all’s rosy for ‘Gram Chikitsalay’ too if it falls in the trap of repetitive stuff as mentioned above.
There is no doubt the two shows cater to very diverse yet niche audiences and therefore who wins is rather difficult to gauge for now and there will be a clearer picture when ‘The Royals’ and ‘Gram Chikitsalay’ premiere on Netflix India and Prime Video respectively on 9th May, 2025.