1) The Royals (May 9, Netflix): It’s crown vs corporate as Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar try to one-up each other in this royal rom-com. Ishaan plays the arrogant prince Aviraaj while Bhumi is the girl-boss CEO Sophia. But love will soon bloom between privilege and self-made. The show has been written and developed by Neha Veena Sharma, directed by Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana and boasts an ensemble cast of Zeenat Aman, Dino Morea, Sakshi Tanwar, Nora Fatehi, Milind Soman, Chunky Panday, Vihaan Samat, Kavya Trehan, Sumukhi Suresh, Udit Arora, Lisa Mishra and Luke Kenny.
2) The Diplomat (May 9, Netflix): John Abraham leads this political-thriller inspired by real events where he essays the role of Indian diplomat J.P. Singh, who is on a mission to rescue an Indian citizen, Uzma Ahmed (Sadia Khateeb), from an abusive marriage in Pakistan. Helmed by Naam Shabana director Shivam Nair and written by Ritesh Shah (Emergency, Sardar Udham), the film released in theatres on March 14. It also stars Sharab Hashmi, Kumud Mishra and Revathy in pivotal roles.
3) Gram Chikitsalay (May 9, Prime Video): From the makers of Panchayat comes another story set in the rural hinterlands, but this time with the background of healthcare. It stars Amol Parashar as a medical officer in the village of Bhatkandi. As he takes over the village clinic, he has to face a number of challenges, which include the lack of supplies, the dearth of medical awareness among villagers and the local political drama.
The show has been created by Panchayat director Deepak Kumar Mishra, written by Vaibhav Suman and Shreya Shrivastava and directed by Rahul Pandey (Maamla Legal Hai). It also stars Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Anandeshwar Dwivedi, Akash Makhija, and Garima Vikrant Singh in pivotal roles.
